


Life/Death

by Black_Lotus



Category: Ghosts (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, American Medium, Ben willbond - Freeform, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, Button House, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Ghosts, Haunting, Homophobia, Homosexuality, Horrible Histories Team, I Have A Crush On A Dude From A Bloody Show For Kids, Internalized Homophobia, Male Homosexuality, Male-Female Friendship, Murder, Period-Typical Homophobia, Romantic Comedy, Talking To Dead People
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-02-28 12:36:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18756574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Black_Lotus/pseuds/Black_Lotus
Summary: Alison has been struggling to come to terms with her house being full of crazy ghosts so she calls in the one person she thinks can help her; much to the spirit inhabitants' irritation. Unbeknownst to everyone is how good for them all she'd be, that and she was only to be there two weeks; what was the worst that could happen?





	1. Chapter 1

The group of ghosts had been gathered into their usual meeting room by Alison in the early afternoon of a really rather miserable day; it rained, it poured and the skies showed no signs of brightening up any time in the near future. Good job the roof had been repaired before the builders had left frankly. However, as soon as Alison had explained why she'd summoned them all thoughts of the weather had been forgotten and instead the band of the dead just stood there staring at the brunette while Humphrey grumbled in the corner about being on the floor and unable to hear a word of what was going on; his body meandered around in search of the head. Poor Fanny looked horrified.   
  
“... You want to invite more people into my house? And an American at that!”  
  
Alison sighed and deflated a little bit. “Okay, sounds a little racist to be honest with you and let's face it, this isn't your house any longer, it's mine. You lot are all just tenants who don't pay rent.”   
  
“You want money from us?” Asked Pat in his usual chipper tone. “Julian hasn't even got trousers on.”  
  
Alison raked a hand across her face. “Forget the money thing. My cousin is coming and that's final. She'll hopefully be able to help me deal with you lot without going bloody bananas.”   
  
The Captain stepped forwards then looking immaculate as always. The rest of the group wouldn't ever admit it – well, Pat might – but he was their de facto leader and actually rather good at it.  
  
“Alison, am I to assume you're Yankee cousin is a-” The only living person in the room cut him off.  
  
“Yeah, she's a medium, she can talk to ghosts. To be honest with you we always thought she was crazy or lying but after I started seeing all you I'm not so sure. Wouldn't it be nice to, you know, have someone else living to talk to?” She turned to the caveman. “Robin, you could play chess with her.” Then to the military man. “Captain, I'm sure she can recommend some war documentaries from the States.”   
  
The Captain looked somewhat dubious. “American war tactics?”  
  
“Look, it doesn't matter, my cousin is coming and you're just going to have to live with it for a few weeks, or die with it, I don't know.”  
  
As usual it was Pat who piped up as the voice of reason.  
  
“Guys, it sounds like this young woman has taken the time to fly all the way here just to meet us and help Alison so I think we should welcome her. Couldn't hurt to be nice and we've never had a medium in the house before. Alison was scared of us at first but this girl won't be, we should give her a chance before we decide we don't like her. I can give her the tour too.”   
  
Julian seemed to think it over for a moment. “In my experience Americans are either egomaniacs or... oh wait, no, that's it, they're just egomaniacs.”  
  
“In all fairness, Julian, you were a politician, and most politicians are.”  
  
“Thank you, Kitty. We can't just judge her for being American.”  
  
“If she's related to sweet Alison she must be lovely.”   
  
Just about everyone rolled there eyes at Thomas' irritating infatuation with their living house mate, at first they'd just ignored it but now it was getting annoying.   
  
The rain continued to pour and the ghosts seemed to accept they'd not got a choice in the American's visit, Kitty and Pat seemed somewhat excited while the other sat on the fence, save for Fanny of course who still appeared horrified at the prospect.  
  
“I still says talkings to dead folk is witchcraft, so is flying. Burns her we should.”   
  
“Mary, there won't be any burning my cousin and she'll be in a plane not just taking off like Superman. She's not a witch, she's not evil, she's just-”   
  
Lady Button cut her off. “American.”  
  
Mike entered then, soaking wet and shivering. He dripped all over the floor and Fanny quickly took to complaining about it but Alison ignored her in favour of running to her husband and finding out exactly why he'd decided to go outside in this storm. She pulled off his hat and tossed it down on one of the wooden side tables then quickly began to rub at his shoulders in feeble attempt to get some warmth back into him.   
  
“Why the hell were you out there, Mike?” Alison's voice was littered with concern.   
  
Mike shivered. “I- God, I'm cold – I broke a pipe and had to go outside to find the water shut off.”  
  
Fanny tossed her arms up. “Wonderful, now it's raining inside as well as out.”  
  
“Shut up, Fanny.” Alison turned her attention back to her husband. “Is it off?” Mike nodded. “Okay, go upstairs, take all these wet clothes off and I'll bring you some of the soup we had last night to warm you up.”  
  
Mike looked hesitant and his eyes flashed about the room as though looking for something he couldn't see.  
  
“But what about the-” he lowered his voice to a whisper “-you know, the ghosts?”  
  
Julian pulled a face of disgust. “It's not like you do anything for us, mate.”  
  
“Certainly not.” Added the Captain completely unnecessarily.  
  
Alison just breathed out a laugh as she pushed her husband out of the room. “You're safe, Mike. I don't think peeping is something they're too focused on.”  
  
“Ha, unless you're Thomas.”  
  
Thomas' brow raised in shock and a little panic. “I never did. I was just watching for when Alison came out so we could haunt her.” He pointed at the scout master. “It was Pat's idea.”  
  
“Calm down, Thomas, I'm sure Julian didn't mean anything by it.”  
  
Like a perfect lady, Fanny sat herself down on the settee and looked up at her fellow deceased friends.   
  
“I think we're overlooking the main issue we have.” All attention turned to her. “There is an American coming here.”  
  
“Hmm, they showed up in forty-two and started giving out sweets, called it candy.” Said the army Captain. “People loved them.”  
  
“Well, they had shown up to help us through the war and they were just being nice.” Pat turned to Fanny. “What is your problem with the Americans?”  
  
Fanny pulled a face. “Their Jazz music and their Flapper girls, showing off all their legs like hussies. You mark my words, that American will show up and there will hardly be a shred of fabric on her.”   
  
Julian perked up at that, a smile spread across his face. “Mmm, Gweyneth Paltrow.”   
  
Mary raised an eyebrow. “Who?”  
  
The group of ghosts slipped into rather pointless conversation after that, Fanny continued to sit and grumble to herself while Julian and Robin settled down for a game of chess. Thomas read the book of Shelley poems Alison had left open for him while Mary and Kitty fell into idle chit-chat. Pat went to help Humphrey's body get to his head. The Captain shuffled off to the window alone though, he stared out at the grounds as think rivers of water washed over the glass and sighed a little to himself. He hadn't been dead nearly the longest – in actuality he was one of the younger ghosts – but he'd grown used to being alone, sometime he and the other ghosts could go a full day without seeing one another. The moustached man didn't know how he felt about there suddenly being to young women who could see and hear him. Still, he was going to just see how it went like Pat had said.


	2. Chapter 2

 

A little over a week went by and the skies brightened up again into a nice summer,  lots of greens and golden sun.  It should have been a pleasant day, should have, but Alison's cousin was late. The Medium should have arrived at noon but it had started to near two-thirty and the living residents of the house had started to grow concerned while the dead ones grew increasingly nervous. In truth they had no reason to be nervous but this girl had been talking to ghosts all her life, what if she knew more of the afterlife than they did? 

“I think they're here.” Called Mike from downstairs and the ghosts all followed Alison down to the front door.

A knock sounded and Alison turned to glare at them. “Be nice to her! And can you all go stand on the stairs or something rather than crowding her as soon as she gets through the door?” 

Only a little reluctantly they obeyed and shuffled up the stairs, the Captain politely waited for everyone to pass before he followed them up a few steps. Alison took a breath and glanced up at Mike for some reassurance; if her cousin couldn't see the spectres in Button House then she really was mad.

“Ready?” Asked Mike with a calming smile.

Alison nodded. “Yeah.”

Together they threw open the doors and a young woman with jet black hair and a rather tall man stepped inside with their cases. Alison quickly took her cousin into her arms for a hug, they'd not seen one another  since Alison's wedding but were always chatting on Facebook. 

“ We were starting to get worried about you.” 

“We're sorry, Ally.” Said the taller girl in an American accent. “Our flight got delayed and then this dumbass got us lost.” She told her cousin as she gestured to the man beside her. “The signal around here is awful.”

“Well, no harm done, you're here now. Mike, would you take the cases up to the room please.”

Mike nodded. “Sure.”

The black man couldn't see the ghosts so he walked straight through them... again; none of them were particularly happy about it.

Alison beamed at her cousin. “It's so good to see you.” She looked up at the tall man. “And em, I take it you're Matthew.”

“That's me, Matthew Olsen.” There was a Southern twang to his accent but that went ignored. “You're Alison, right?”

Alison shook the offered hand and nodded.

Fanny grumbled as she looked at the young woman, certainly no more than twenty-five, as though she physically offended her.

“I told you, didn't I. Hardly a scrap of clothing on the thing.”

The ghosts – particularly Julian – raked their eyes over Alison's American cousin. She had long raven hair that hung in loose waves around her face and porcelain skin; her clothing wasn't exactly conservative but it wasn't overly revealing either. She wore a short a-line faux leather skirt and sleeveless white top that displayed her cleavage without being excessive. If any of the outfit was risqué it was her shoes, platform Oxford style stilettos. 

“ Be nice, Fanny.” Kitty insisted as she continued to grin at the newcomer but Lady Button was having none of it. 

“Oh, she probably can't even see us.” Fanny scoffed.

Emerald green eyes flicked up to the mass of ghosts assembled on the stairs then and she took a few steps forwards to better see them.

“On the contrary I can see and hear you perfectly.” Fanny's face instantly flooded with shock. “I was just saying hi to my cousin first is all.”

Kitty, Julian and Pat rushed down the stairs followed slightly more slowly by the Captain, Mary and Robin; Fanny stayed put.

“It's very nice to meet you.” Began Pat as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “I'm Pat.”

“It's nice to meet you too, Pat.”

Alison cut in then. “You can actually see them?”

“Yes, clear as day.” Alison let out a huge sigh of relief while Matthew just watched on as if calculating something. “I asked Alison not to tell me anything about you so my interpretation of you wasn't bias. Would you mind telling me all your names? I'm Halston, Halston Renner.” 

Kitty jumped straight in with a dazzling smile and a need to make friends.

“Hello, I'm Kitty, I do hope we can be friends.” Before Halston could open her mouth Kitty was speaking again. “You already know Pat but there's Mary, Robin, Julian, Fanny, Thomas and the Captain.” The dark-skinned flamboyant woman pointed at them all in turn. “Humphrey is around here somewhere as well.” 

“A pleasure.” The raven-haired beauty flashed them a stunning smile  but it faded to confusion when she noticed the former MP. “Why aren't you wearing pants?” 

“There was an...  _ incident _ before his death.” Thomas explained. 

“I was hoping to give you the tour.”

“That would be lovely, Pat, but maybe later yeah? I'm a bit jet-lagged and I'd really like to catch up with Ally.”

The scout master looked a little deflated but he could understand the girl wanting to settle in. Alison looped her arm with her cousin.

“Hals, I was thinking we could get Chinese food for dinner like when we were younger.”

Halston nodded. “Sounds good to me. I take it you still can't cook.” She chuckled. 

“Yeah, not so much.”

With that Alison led Halston away while Matthew followed behind. The ghosts all watched them go with Julian paying particular attention to the American's ass.  The former MP spun around to his fellow deceased. 

“I take back everything I said about Americans, that girl is bloody gorgeous. Damn, I wish I was alive.”

“She has a boyfriend, Julian.” Informed Pat. “A pretty tall one too.”

“Yes, with arms.” The Captain muttered to himself so quietly they couldn't quite figure out what he'd said.

“ Alison is alive but it doesn't stop Thomas.” Julian shot back. 

“Hey!”

Clearly Pat's version of calming the situation wasn't working so the Captain hopped in.

“Alright, leave the poor girl alone. Halston is certainly not what we were expecting but here she is and will be for a few weeks. I don't know why we need to make such a fuss over a pretty girl.” 

“Did you see her chest?”

“Not appropriate, Julian.” The army Captain sighed. “Now, let's not harass her, she'll be leaving soon enough. Off you all go, find something to do while Alison and Halston reacquaint themselves.” 

Fanny grumbled. “What sort of a name is Halston for a girl anyway? Did her parents want a boy?” 

“Oh, I rather like it.” Smiled Kitty.

“It's different. Everyones was calleds Mary whens I was alives.” 

Thomas rested his head in his hand. “You do know that none of those words were plurals, right?”

“Disband, troops. Off with you.” The Captain ordered and everyone hopped to it.

 

~X~

 

Later that day the Captain found himself walking down the halls only to round a corner and walk right through the young American. Both gasped which caused the Captain to spin around thinking she was hurt.

“Are you alright?” He asked and Halston nodded. 

“Yeah, flyboy, I'm okay. It's just I don't like passing through ghosts because I get a sort of jolt from your energy. I can feel and channel spirit energy.” 

He squinted. “That's sort of how it feels for me as well, and I'm army not RAF. What are you doing here?”

“Hmm? Oh, I had to dodge your short friend in the glasses. Pat?” The ghost nodded. “His tour was becoming a little OTT.”

“OTT?” The Captain enquired.

“Over the top.” She explained with a soft smile that showed off her bright green eyes.

The Captain straightened his uniform as understanding washed over him. He'd not seen much of this Halston Renner since she'd arrived about two or three hours previous, hadn't really tried in all honesty but he could already see that she wasn't anything like Fanny had assumed. This girl was polite and friendly enough, yes she liked to show off her legs but that wasn't really any cause to dislike her. 

“Yes, Pat can get that way now and again.”

Halston's head tilted to the side ever so slightly. “What are you doing up here all alone? The others were all together downstairs.” 

“Well, I do live here and I like to walk the halls every now and again. Keep an eye on things.”

The raven-haired beauty smiled pleasantly; no one's eyes had any right to be that bold a green. 

“I should have expected you to be a man of action, Cap.” 

“It's what I do.” The ghost answered as though it were simple. “Besides, Alison turned off my tanks.”

That got the American to perk up. “Tanks? You're a bit of a documentary buff then. If you want you can use my laptop. I'll hook it up to the wifi and sit it somewhere for you.” 

The Captain hadn't expected that. This young woman didn't know him, didn't have to exist in the same house as him and yet there she was offering kindness without wanting anything in return; even Alison grumbled when putting shows on for him.

The ghost actually smiled, this girl really wasn't so bad after all.

“Thank you, that would be very kind, Miss Renner.”

The girl breathed out a laugh. “Halston is fine.” He nodded in understanding. “I'm guessing you have a room or something. Somewhere that is just yours, that living people don't go into.”

“Well, the builders arrived and privacy went down the pan. They're gone now though.” He cleared his throat, something that was entirely unnecessary. “Em, my room is at the end of the hall.”

He pointed down the hall back the way he'd come from and Halston glanced over her shoulder a moment before flashing him a smile once more. 

“So we're right next to each other. Great. I'll go get my laptop and bring it through to you.”

With that the American turned and clicked her heels down the hallway and into her room while the Captain just watched. A series of documentaries to watch without Julian or someone else interrupting him did sound wonderful.

The Captain passed through the wall into his bedroom and went to look out the large windows while he waited for Halston to gather her things. It was nice to have someone living that could see him and didn't automatically freak out. This American girl had actually just had a conversation with him, as though he were a perfectly normal and alive man, and the Captain hadn't known how much that would mean to him. 

His dark brown eyes glanced out the window, the sun had started to set leaving the grounds looking almost sleepy and the birds had hushed as they prepared for the night. Suddenly movement caught his attention and he looked down to see Mike and the tall, strapping yank as they chatted and wandered through the garden. The pair each held a bottle – undoubtedly beer – and seemed to be getting on well. 

“Would make a perfect soldier.” The ghost muttered to himself completely unaware he'd spoken.

A knock sounded then and jolted the military man out of his thoughts and he spun around just in time to see Halston push the door open and poke her head in. She'd put an oversized, off-white cardigan on since she'd left his sight and had her laptop cuddled to her impressive chest. 

“Hi, can I come in?” She asked in that lyrical American accent of hers.

“Of course.” He nodded and gestured to the bed.

Halston beamed as she fully entered the out of time room and set her laptop down on the covers. He watched her as she typed, times really had changed; had he ever been in a room with a woman – who was not his wife – in such a short skirt, it would have been completely improper. 

“Why do you wear those shoes? Surely they're uncomfortable and totally impractical.” There wasn't any hostility in his tone just a curious question.

Halston glanced up at him a moment. “Why do you wear that uniform?” 

The Captain's brow furrowed. “It's who I am. I'm a British Captain. That and I died in this.”

“Exactly, it's who you are. And besides, my shoes are cute.”

The American Medium went back to typing a moment and then suddenly rose to her full height - which was still a half head shorter than him dispite his heels - and placed her hands on her hips.

“Everything alright?” He enquired.

“Uh-huh. Do you have any favourites or shall I just surprise you, Cap?”

He'd not really paid attention to what any of the names of what Alison had found him were, he'd just watched as though it were Christmas and his Birthday all rolled into one. The moustached man shrugged.

“... Surprise me?”

Halston nodded. “Sure thing.” 

The typing started up again for a moment and then she pushed her laptop down the bed and patted the covers invitingly.

“You're all set. It's a season so when one finishes the next one will start for you.”

That sounded like heaven to the Captain and he found himself smiling. He made his way over to the bed and sat down just as Halston pulled open the bedroom door once again; the door to the room she and Matthew were sharing slammed shut. The Captain's head snapped up towards Halston who had frozen in the doorway and after a moment she looked over to him. 

“Could I maybe stay here and watch with you, Cap?”

The ghost nodded. “Of course.”

There was something not quite right with this girl and her boyfriend but he didn't want to pry into things that had nothing to do with him. Halston shut the door softly and rounded the somewhat dusty bed so she could lay down beside him, she paused a moment to slip off her shoes and the Captain forced his attention back to the screen as a series of tanks rolled down streets. 

Time went by and they got through two of the half-hour episodes before Halston spoke again. Her voice caught the ghost off guard but he certainly didn't jump.

“May I ask what year you died, Cap?”

When he looked up he found Halston already had her dazzling green eyes on him. 

“Em, it was nineteen-forty-three.”

“That's just cruel, so close to the end of the war.”

The Captain raked a hand over his mouth. “A lot of good men died between when I did and the end of the war, and all their deaths were cruel and unfair. It didn't matter where one was stationed whether it be England or France or anywhere else, it didn't even matter what country they came from, war didn't change. It was hell everywhere.” 

“You're a very brave man, Captain.” That actually came as a surprise to the moustached man. “I don't know if I'd have been able to go through what you did. I know Churchill said 'if you find yourself going through hell keep going' but having the strength to actually stand up and do it is rare.”

His brow furrowed ever so slightly. “You speak with the dead, that is brave.”

Halston breathed out a laugh. “That's just talking, and it's not like you're an angry poltergeist intent on throwing me down the stairs or hurling a rock at me.” 

Oh, he liked this girl. She was a perfect breath of fresh air in the otherwise stuffy Button House. He'd always been very set in his ways but with Halston – despite having known her for such a short amount of time – he felt as though he could actually relax around her; her aura was very soothing.

Suddenly a deep voice yelled out Halston's name and heavy feet stomped down the hall then back, the name sounded again as a few doors opened and the American Medium sighed. She sat herself up and reached for her shoes so she could slip them back on. Just then the Captain's bedroom door swung open and the tall American stepped inside. 

“There you are, Haly.” Said Matthew. “I've been calling you. Alison says the Chinese food is here but she couldn't find you.”

“I asked her just to let me walk around and get a feel for the place, you know, chat with some of the not so alive residents without an audience.”

He glanced at the laptop seemingly having ignored everything Halston has said. “What the fuck are you doing?” 

He crashed down onto the bed and went straight through the Captain who gasped his shock and discomfort. 

“No! Get up! Get up!” She cried as she attempted to push him off the bed.

“What the hell?”

“You're sitting _through_ the Captain.”

Finally Matthew raised to his full height that was beyond six-foot and the moustached man calmed down. 

“I'm okay.” He told the Medium. “I just really hate when that happens.”

“I'm sorry, Cap, he can't see you.”

“Are you watching TV with a ghost right now, Haly?” Matthew seemed confused and just a little bit amused. 

“I wa-”

Matthew cut her off. “Come on, it's time for dinner.”

The living male pulled Halston across the bed – through the Captain – and up onto her feet beside him before she could even speak. 

“Are you alright, Halston?” The Captain asked. 

Matthew didn't seem to be hurting her or show any violence but he did seem rather...  _dominant_ for the ghost's liking, and after how sweet and kind Halston had been to him the Captain wanted to make sure she was safe; in his mind that was no way to treat a lady. 

“I'm fine, thanks Cap.” She flashed him that stunning smile. “You just keep watching, I'll come and get my laptop tomorrow so I can charge it.”

“I can carry on watching?” He'd just automatically assumed she'd take it with her.

“Yeah, go for it.”

Halston followed her boyfriend out into the hallway after that the door banged shut behind them leaving the Captain alone. He turned back to the screen. Matthew may have been a perfect poster boy for an American GI but after the little display he wasn't so sure about the man. Maybe he was reading too much into it all, Halston and Matthew had only just arrived a couple of house earlier and, depending on where she'd come from exactly, America to England was a long flight. Perhaps this was one of those consensual rough things Julian had sometimes talked about ad nauseam. 

Still, the Americans were off to dinner with Alison and Mike and he had a whole evening of shows to watch and the Captain was determined to enjoy it. 


	3. Chapter 3

By the time the first week of the Americans being at Button House had rolled around Halston had made some pretty good headway with Alison and dealing with her new found ability. Alison no longer jumped when one of the dead residents stepped through a wall or just randomly appeared when a light was flicked on, it had done wonders for Alison's stress levels. Halston had managed to help Mike as well, he'd been paranoid about the ghosts – even after he'd made such a show about being over it – but had started to realise that they didn't care. 

The tall man with spiky black hair known as Matthew had set up cameras in the most travelled parts of the house such as the staircase and living room, which no one of the spirit persuasion was pleased about; least of all Fanny. Alison and Mike continually forgot they were there and the band of ghosts really didn't like the idea of a stranger trying to record their every move. At night something called a REM Pod would be set down on the floor and scream every time one of them went even remotely near it, Julian and Robin had played with it for about twenty-five minutes but after that it had just gotten irritating and they'd crashed down on the couch with the others.

“That thing is an eyesore and a hazard to my hearing.” Complained Fanny as she folded her arms over her chest and huffed. “I want it out of my house.”

“It cans see the dead. It's Satan's minion.” Mary said assuredly but no one seemed very convinced.

“I very much doubt it is, Mary.” Smiled Pat. “Mike and Matthew can't see us like the girls can so they're doing their very best to see us in their own way and it seems like all this technology helps. We should be flattered they're going to all this trouble.” 

“Flattered? Flattered?!”

“They just want to be our friends which is lovely.” Kitty interrupted but Thomas just carried on. 

“They come into our home taking up all of my dear Alison's time and now this Matthew is harassing our ears in the dead of night and parading the beautiful Halston's love for him in front of us. Why must I always be spurned?” 

“First in big love with Kim Wilde now big love with shadow wrap goddess.”

“Can you blame a gentleman? Her eyes sparkle like Duchess of Angoulême 's tiara, as though the Gods themselves crafted such fine jewels just for her. Her hair-”

“Yeah, we get it, shut up.” Julian rolled his eyes.

Mary raised an eyebrow and muttered to herself. “ _Shadow wrap_?”

Pat leant close to explain. “I think he means her hair.” He looked up to Robin. “Her name is Halston, Robin.” 

Julian shuffled to face the Captain. “You've spent the most time with the girl – you lucky bastard – any idea when they're leaving? Or, you know, what bra size she is? I'm thinking a D but hoping for double.”

Had he really spent the most time with Halston? She was a sweet young woman in truth and she'd let him use her laptop almost non-stop since she'd arrived; something he'd been mightily pleased with. Actually, when the Captain thought about it he had spent rather a lot of time with Halston, she'd all but begged him to come on the remainder of the tour with her and Pat to keep the scout master from going off on a tangent, and she'd ended up watching the documentaries with him more than once; that was how he'd learnt that she – surprisingly – knew her way around World War II shotguns.

“That is wildly inappropriate and I'm not really sure.” He answered honestly when he realised he'd been lost in his own head a while. “Alison said it would only be a few weeks and Halston doesn't seem to be planning on staying forever so I'd assume she and her young man will be gone by the end of next week.” 

“Ha, the sooner the better if you ask me.” Grumbled Fanny. “They can take that Banshee with them and leave us be. First builders and then Americans-” 

“Fanny, hush.” Said the Captain quickly. “They aren't that bad and it's not like they're moving in. Halston has been nothing but kind and respectful. Frankly more so than Alison has.” 

“You think we could swap them?” Asked Julian with a filthy smirk. “Keep the sexy one and loose Miss grumpy.”

Just then the door opened and Halston walked in wearing only her pyjamas – a blue tank top and white fluffy sleep pants. She came to a stop before the couch with her back to Kitty who'd perched beside the chess table and flashed them all a smile. 

“Okay,” she began in her American accent “it's actually hard for me to sleep with all this energy locked up in here grumbling and arguing about me.”

“How did you-” She cut Thomas off with a raised hand but it was the military man who spoke first.

“Halston can channel and feel our energy.” The Captain informed and Halston smiled at him as though she'd not expected him to have remembered that. 

“That's right, thanks, Cap.” She cleared her throat while Julian stood and not so subtly scooted around her at a distance in an attempt to see down her top. “Julian, I'm going to need you to stop doing that please.”

The former MP sighed. “Fine. First decent set of jubblies since I died and I'm not even allowed to look.” He grumbled the last sentence under his breath. 

“Alright, where was I, oh yes. This energy being directed at me is stopping me sleeping now so I can't just ignore it. Here's what's going to happen, I'm going to sit down and you're all going to _calmly_ ask me whatever you want to know so I can finally get some goddamn sleep.”

“Ooh, is this like twenty questions?” Pat looked excited as did Kitty.

Halston shrugged. “Sure, Pat, why not.” 

Kitty stood up and moved to hover just behind the couch next to the Captain and Thomas.

“I'll go first because I'd really like for us to be friends and this will be _such_ a bonding experience. Em, where are you from exactly?”

“Okay, basic questions, cool.” Halston shuffled on the spot. “I'm from Carson City which is the capital city of Nevada. Nevada is on the west of the States between California and Utah.” 

“So exciting!” Kitty clapped happily to herself.

“Ares you a witch?”

Halston paused only a second. “No, Mary, I'm not. Witches as you know them were just women who practised old religions. Christianity didn't like that so they spread word that anyone who believed in Celtic Gods, Mediterranean Gods or practised any form of Paganism were servants of Satan, that's why the Devil looks exactly like Pan. As a result, thousands of innocent women died... just like you did.” 

Mary nodded to herself. “Yeah, I can'ts really argue with that.” 

Julian pushed Robin out the way so he could step forwards suddenly looking very serious.

“Who is the President now? Clinton had just taken over when I died.”

Halston raised an eyebrow and went uncharacteristically quiet for a moment then cleared her throat. 

“Let's not get into that. Next?”

“How you paint face so many colors?”

Halston raised an eyebrow at the caveman. “It's called make-up, surely you've seen make-up before, Robin.” 

“Yeah, but not so pointy like bear claw.”

“Okay...” she drew the word out. “That would be eyeliner and if you really want to know you can watch me do my make up in the morning.”

That seemed to satisfy the eldest ghost.

“When are you leaving?” Fanny half asked, half demanded forcing all other quandaries away. 

“Why do you want me gone so badly?” Halston shot back. “Do you think I pose some sort of threat to you? You don't need to be scared of me.” 

“I am _not_ afraid of you. I think you're cluttering up _my_ house and dress like a hussy.”

Halston opened her mouth to speak but Julian hopped in first. 

“Hey, Haly is beautiful.” 

“Please don't call me Haly, I hate that nickname.” She took a breath as the Captain remembered Matthew had called her that. “Times have changed, Fanny, we don't all have to be covered head to toe anymore. And, it's not your house any longer, it's my cousin's and her husband's now. You need to learn to co-exist. Maybe try calling it _our_ house instead of just yours. How would you like it if Robin started telling you that you couldn't go outside anymore because the land was his first?”

“I... no do that.”

“I know you wouldn't Robin, you're a sweetheart. I was just making an example.”

The Captain rose to his feet then and moved to stand by Halston.

“Alright, I think it's time for me to step in as ranking officer. The builders came in here, started moving things and filling up the house with noise without any consideration for the dead, then Adam and the film crew started falling through floors. Halston has been nothing but polite and helpful. It's about bally time we showed her the same courtesy.” He turned to the American. “On behalf of all of us I apologize, Halston. Please, go back to bed and I'm sure there will be no further interruptions.” 

Halston flashed him a grin. “Thank you, Cap. Goodnight, everyone.” 

Kitty, Pat, Julian, Robin and Mary all responded with their own 'goodbye' while the others remained silent. Halston slipped back out the room hoping that she could get some sleep finally, already she could feel the energy in the building had calmed and relaxed. The American took a calming breath, her eyes slipped shut a second or two and when she opened them Halston found the military man was stood beside her. 

“Thought I'd walk up with you.” He smiled a little awkwardly. “I've had enough of everyone for one night so I think it's time to retire.”

“Sure. I'd like the company.”

The pair went up the stairs – which only creaked when she moved – and chit-chatted quietly amongst themselves. The Captain really did enjoy just having a normal conversation. 

“You never asked a question.” Halston pointed out as they reached the top of the stairs. 

“I suppose I didn't. I don't even know what I'd ask.”

“Anything you want. I'm not just here to help Alison understand her ability, I'm here to help you all come to terms with not being alone here any longer. Take Jemima for instance, she'd like it if you all spoke to her more often. She thinks you find her creepy and it makes her isolate herself. She's a little girl as well as a ghost and she's lonely.” 

Cap sighed. “You're right, I'll have Pat visit her every now and again, he's friendly and used to children. She is frightfully scary though, especially when she sings.” 

“Thank you. Now, question time, take it away, Cap. Oh, and Pat told me about _Friends_ , you're totally Ross.”

He thought a moment while at the same time internally grumbling about not being Chandler. “How are you related to Alison? She said she was the only heir left to Button house.”

Halston nodded. “Yeah, I'm not related to the Buttons. My Mom and Ally's Dad were brother and sister, Cecilia and Andrew were their names, that's why our surnames are different. My Mom fell for a businessman she met when she was fresh out of school and moved to Nevada with him.” 

“Sounds as though she fell in love without really trying.”

Halston smiled fondly. “She did, it broke her heart when he died. It wasn't surprising when she went not long afterwards.” 

“Did they stay?” He asked genuinely curious. “Like I and the others did?”

“My Dad did, he stayed a little while but when Mom went they left together.” Halston sighed. “It was horrid to be alone but they were together so that was what mattered.” 

“How old are you, if you don't mind my asking?”

“I'm twenty-four.” She told the military man as the rounded the corner into the hallway that housed their rooms.

“You have your whole life ahead of you and yet you've taken time out of it to aid those whose lives have already ended. That is to be commended.”

“You fought in a war, that's to be commended too.” His brow furrowed. “What I mean is we all end up doing things we don't expect or that others think we shouldn't. My Grandfather on my Dad's side was a GI; he was already seventy when I was born.” Her expression grew sorrowful and the Cap actually felt bad for her “Sometimes he'd tell me stories about the war, about his friends and the letters he'd get from my Grandmother. Now and again though, he'd just stop talking and stare off into space and these tears would well in his eyes. Most children my age wouldn't have understood why he cried but I did. He'd wipe the tears away and he'd tell me – sometimes in great detail – how his friends died-” 

“Why the devil would someone tell that to a child?”

“Ally got the ability to see ghosts when she fell out the window, she actually died for a few minutes. I did something similar.” She took a breath. “When I was two at a house that belonged to some friends of my parents, and in a split second that they'd taken their eyes off of me I wandered off and fell into the pool. I drowned, died.” 

“That's why you can see us.” The Captain said in a hushed voice.

Halston nodded. “Yeah. And that is why my Grandfather told me about those people. He was the only one who believed me when I said that Grandma still sat beside him on the couch even though she died two months before I was born. He told me all those horrid details not to scare a little girl, he told me because he wanted me to always know that spirits were people, they'd had lives and that they should be respected.” 

“I would have liked to have met your Grandfather, he sounds like a noble man.” Cap tucked his guard stick under his arm. “What was his name?”

“Private Jonathan Renner.”

They tripped into silence then, the Captain didn't know what else to say and Halston appeared lost in her thoughts. The quietude lingered until they made it to their doors. 

“Ahh, here we are, goodnight, Halston.” Said the military man just to fill the quiet. 

“Night, Cap. See you tomorrow.”

She quietly slipped into her room and the Captain stood there a moment before passing through the door into his own room for some peace and quiet. He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes so he could just listen to the night. He and his fellow ghosts didn't sleep of course, but they did enter a sort of rest period for a few hours when they let there minds drift off; a sort of left over from their subconscious mind that they all found relaxing. Sometimes the Captain missed sleep, missed the aches and pains of a long day of drills and crawling into a cool bed, missed dreams and waking up to a satisfying stretch. It wasn't good to dwell on such things though, only made one miss them all the more. 

His eyes snapped open when he heard shouting coming through the all and he looked over at it almost expectantly or as though he'd somehow hear better. The voices were clearly those of Halston and her boyfriend, Matthew, the pair seemed to be arguing about her abilities from what he could hear through the wall. 

“I should check on her.” He told himself aloud as he sat up. “Or is it rude to just interrupt?”

Everything fell silent a moment later and the Captain wondered if maybe he'd over reacted to the noise, it didn't seem much of an argument if it had ended so soon after beginning. Still, checking on the young American was the gentlemanly thing to do. Slowly he got to his feet and passed through the wall their rooms shared to find Matthew tucked up in bed facing him and Halston on her side towards the door; Matthew had his eyes closed and all the lights were out but certainly didn't look as though he were asleep. The moustached man made his way across the room and around the bed so he stood right beside Halston in the bed, her green orbs were open and she looked up at himas soon as he came into view. 

“Are you alright?” He asked softly.

Halston nodded then held up a finger indicating she'd answer him in a moment. 

“Matt, I'm going to go get some water.”

“Fine, whatever.” He huffed.

Halston looked tired and the Captain backed up as she got out of bed and left the room with him in tow. She stopped outside the door and slipped down the wall until she just sat there; he sat beside her. 

“Are you alright?” He asked again with genuine concern.

“I'm fine, yeah.” She sighed. “He wants to use my ability to try and snag us a TV deal, get us a paranormal investigation show. They're really popular right now.” 

“What does one do in a _paranormal investigation_ show?” The army man enquired.

“Try and communicate with ghosts, help them pass on and such.”

The Captain squinted. “And why do you think this is a bad thing?”

Halston breathed out a laugh. “Sounds like a good idea but it's not. Matt wants me to embellish my abilities, wants me to start making things up to make it all seem more interesting. If we get something real great but if not he wants me to start making it up. Wants me to tell people that their homes and businesses are haunted when they're not.” 

“Why would anyone want that?”

“Don't underestimate how much money can be made out of hauntings. He wants me to fabricate things and misinform people about ghosts simply so he can be rich and famous.” 

“He's greedy.” The Captain surmised.

Halston nodded. “Yeah.” 

“May I ask-” he seemed a little hesitant “-why do you remain with him if he is essentially only using you for your ability to talk to the dead?”

The raven-haired American was quiet for a while and the Captain actually though he'd have to fill the silent void but then she spoke in that lyrical voice of hers.

“I was going to dump him a while ago and then Alison called and asked me to come _check out this ultra haunted house_ and before I knew it Matthew had bought tickets. He'd planned the whole goddamn trip before I'd even hung up my fucking cell. I thought, you know, free round trip to England but now I kind of wish I'd just dumped his ass and come alone.” 

“It is a nice arse.” Said the Captain before he'd even known he'd spoken; his eyes went wide. “I mean-”

“It's alright. I get it, you're gay, nothing to be ashamed about and Matt really does have a good ass.” She chuckled to herself which did nothing for the Captain's red cheeks and wide eyes. 

“What about me makes you think I'm happy or jovial?” He asked with confusion.

Halston looked perplexed a moment but soon snapped out of it. 

“Oh, yeah, it meant something else when you were alive. No, gay now means homosexual.”

Had he not already been dead the uniformed man would have choked on his own tongue. His head snapped to look at her with horror.

“I most certainly am not!”

He'd expected judgement or maybe ridicule but instead all he found in Halston's polished emeralds was understanding and care; things really had changed since his day. 

“It's okay, Cap, you don't have to hide who you are from me. If you like men that's fine. That and you're dead so you really shouldn't care what other people think.”

All conversation ceased a moment then when Humphrey – sans head – appeared through one of the walls and meandered down the hall. It was almost as though someone had paused them mid conversation. As soon as Humphrey's body vanished the pair went back to what they'd been saying. The Captain just felt uncomfortable, the other's had probably noticed some of his slip ups over the years but no one had ever actually confronted him about it until now.

“I'm not a homosexual.” He repeated and Halston opened her mouth but he just carried on with a sorrowful expression. “At least not entirely. I... yes, alright I find men attractive a lot of the time, is that what you want to hear?” 

“Cap,” she began slowly so as not to spook him “my job as a medium is to help you and I think talking about this might actually help you. This isn't about what I want to hear, it's about what you need to say whether you realise that or not. So just tell me, whatever you feel like saying just tell me.”

Silence. The Captain didn't really know what to say. To be honest he'd have rather liked to just run off to his room and never speak of it again but he'd gone from utter horror to a reluctant calm and he felt as though she were right.

“... It's true, I find men attractive in a... sexual way. However, I also feel that way about women. When I was eighteen I loved a girl named Lily, she was beautiful and perfect and I adored her with all my heart, after her I just never really... I think Julian would called it 'clicked', with another woman.” He took a calming breath, something that was completely unneeded for a ghost. “It's just that the men who come here usually appeal to me more than the women that come here. I don't usually find the women beautiful like I do you. I never understood what was wrong with me or why I am the way I am, but it was horrible while I was alive. I'm not a homosexual but I'm not normal either.”

Halston laughed, actually laughed, which caught the Captain off but he didn't feel as though she were being cruel. 

“Dude, that's not weird or not normal or whatever, maybe it was back then. You're just the ghost with the most and bi like me.”

The Captain's brow furrowed. “Bi? Like you?”

“Yeah, bisexual. Long word that basically means you're sexually attracted to both your own gender and the opposite. You swing both ways, bat for both teams. It's actually fairly common now. And yes, like me, I like girls as well.”

He just stared at her open-mouthed and unspeaking. He felt uncomfortable and Halston could understand that, she didn't blame him for it. 

“When that film crew was here – Ally was pretty pleased about that because of Tony Nightingale until, you know, the floor incident – was there anyone who caught you eyes? Lots of different people, someone had to at least appeal to you a little bit.” 

“... Adam.” He says softly as he fiddles with his ever present guard stick.

“There you go.” She flashed him a smile. “Tell me, was he tall? Was he all smouldery?” She teased. 

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “ _Smouldery _is not a word and... no, he was really rather plain but-” Cap trailed off as he carried on looking his guard stick as though he'd found it was suddenly encrusted with priceless jewels.

“Sometimes plain is attractive.” Halston tucked her legs under herself then.

“Thank you.” He said in a surprisingly quiet tone.

Halston's brow furrowed. “For what, Cap?” 

“... For not judging me.”

“What happened to Lily?” She asked after a time to fill the quiet and jolt him out of his awkwardness.

The moustached man glanced down sorrowfully. “She, em, she came from a rather wealthy, upper-class family and her parents didn't approve of me, thought she could so better. Turned out that she could, a year later and she'd been married off to a Lord.” 

“I'm sorry, Cap.”

Something amazing happened then, Halston took a calming breath then leant in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. The Captain just stared at her in stunned amazement as she smiled. He'd felt that! He'd felt the warmth of her lips and the wonderful smoothness of them.

“I felt that.” He said almost inaudibly.

Halston's smile only grew. “I channel energy remember, means I can funnel it into you just enough to get you to manifest for something small like a kiss.” 

Cap hadn't even realised how much he'd missed the feel of another person. He would have cried if he could have; after so long of numbness it was as though every emotion hit him at once. Cap wanted more.

“Do it again?” He pleaded even before his mind have fully comprehended what had just happened.

Halston looked somewhat reserved. “It's really draining.” His eyes were so desperate, like a dog begging to be adopted and it had her relenting. “Okay. I'm going to sleep anyway so I guess it's no biggy.” 

He watched as she rolled her shoulders and pushed up onto her knees to face him. Cap turned his cheek a little towards her longing for that warmth again but instead found her arms wrapped around his neck, he could _feel_ her, could feel the warmth of her cheek against his own and her arms at the back of his neck, could feel loose strands of her raven-hair and there press of her bosom against his uniform clad chest. He could _feel_ her! In a desperate attempt to cling to the sensation he gripped her tight.

“Let go.”

She suddenly asked somewhat sleepily but Cap couldn't bring himself to let go, the next thing he knew Halston fell through him to the floor and he threw himself backwards to look at her with urgent concern and panic. 

“I am so sorry, are you alright? Halston, what is wrong? Do I need to get Alison?” She pushed herself up and fell back against the wall almost hyperventilating with tears streaming down her face. His brow furrowed. “Why are you crying?”

“... because you want to.” She wiped her eyes and yawned as her breathing calmed. “I didn't realise touch would mean that much to you, probably should have expected it really. I'm okay.” Her eyes slipped shut. “Really, I'm alright, just need to sleep and recharge. I've never stayed connected to a spirit that long.”

“Did I hurt you?” Cap wouldn't forgive himself if he'd harmed a lady. 

“No,” the American shook her head “I'm good. Like I said I just need to sleep.”

Slowly she forced herself to her bare feet and took a deep and calming breath. The Captain stood there with his arms spread ever so slightly as though ready to catch her even though he knew it wouldn't do any good.

Halston's head tilted to the side then seemingly confused about something. 

“Hang on. Did you say you think I'm beautiful?”

Cap froze, he cleared his throat and very quickly started stumbling over his own words of goodnight. He hadn't realised she'd noticed that and before long he'd skittishly excused himself and darted through the wall. Everyone else at Button House would have calling it fleeing, because that was exactly what it was, the Captain though would have preferred the term 'tactical retreat'. 


	4. Chapter 4

 

When Halston awoke the next morning it was to Matthew grumbling at his laptop. She pushed herself upright and stretched, she still felt somewhat drained after the night before but nothing she couldn't handle. Matthew had his back to her and she didn't particularly feel like announcing the fact she'd roused so instead Halston reached for her phone to check the time; _eleven, thought after last night I'd sleep longer._ She stretched once the phone was back on the night stand and delighted in the almost sinful satisfaction it granted.

Light poured in through the large window and the sound of birds filled the air; the English countryside was actually rather pleasant, a sound she could have grown used to. Back home it was all commuter traffic and people rushing around but at Button House everything had a steadier pace and fresh air. Shame they only had a week left before they returned to The States.

She must have made some sort of noise because Matthew looked over his shoulder to look at her. His hair was a mess having not been styled into his usual curly-haired quiff and his stubble bordered on beard at this point. 

“What are you doing, Matt?” She asked after stifling a yawn.

“Trying to photo shop the MP into this bit of film.” He answered his his usual Southern twang. “I found a good image of him and thought I could get it in when the REM Pod goes off. You sure this Fawcett dude is here? Seriously after how he died I though he'd have high tailed it to the afterlife just to hide from the shame, the sick perv.” 

Halston sighed. “Yes, Julian is here and I thought I told you to stop doctoring our film. It's wrong.” 

Matthew clenched his hands into fists then raked a hand over his face; he wasn't happy.

“I told you. We get enough evidence and you start making stuff a bit more fucking lively and we can get a goddamn TV deal. Something like that will get us notoriety and if we play it right we'll be set for fucking life.”

“It's a lie, Matt.” She argued. “How would you like it if you were dead and someone stood there making up stuff about you? They may be dead but they still have feelings.”

“Like I give a shit, Haly, they're dead and we're not.” He shot to his feet then and Halston actually jumped. “I need a fucking piss.” 

Matt slammed the door behind him and Halston let out a breath. Her green eyes fell shut as she regained her composure. The American didn't want to be there when he got back so she grabbed her case and quickly slipped next door to the Captain's room to dress; fortunately he wasn't in there. 

She had breakfast with Mike and Alison down in the kitchen in an attempt to avoid her boyfriend and thankfully a quick 'he's not feeling so well, think it's some sort of latent jet lag' they asked no more about him. Speaking of avoiding, all the ghosts were gathered in the kitchen as well to talk about this weeks favoured cereals save for the Captain, he wasn't anywhere to be seen. 

Her polished emeralds glanced around looking for him but no, he wasn't there. Had Halston not been in his room less than thirty minutes previous she'd assumed he was still up there. 

“You okay, Hal?” Asked Alison when she noticed her cousin's confusion.

Halston nodded. “Yeah, just wondering where Cap was.” 

“Not seen him all day.” Said Pat as he straightened up from peering into Alison's bowl. “Probably wandering the perimeter, he does that every now and again.”

“Thanks, Pat.” She flashed the ghost a smile.

Mike dropped his spoon into his bowl and leant back in his chair. “Okay, how many of them are in here right now and how can you just... you know, _chat_ with them?”

“They're all in here apart from the army one.” Answered his wife.

“We can see them so really it's just like talking to you.” Halston finished before taking another mouthful of her cereal. 

“Yeah, I don't think it is.” He muttered to himself but everyone ignored him.

“I was wondering if you'd like a tour of the house?” Asked Pat happily. “We never did finish and there's so much to show off in this old place.”

“Excuse me, this _old place_ is my home. Granted it may have fallen into some disrepair but Button House has always been a fine homestead, it is _not_ a squallier for you to insult.” 

Julian sighed. “Will you calm down, not everything is a verbal attack on the bloody building. Sod this, I'm going to go watch the sports.”

With that the disgrace MP was gone with Robin charging off after him enquiring as to if people got to hit each other with clubs; sounded more like a bad game show to Halston. 

While the ghosts bickered amongst themselves Alison and her cousin made plans to watch a movie that night since Mike would be out at a friend's stag do; and Halston didn't really care if Matthew spent all day and night trying to shove a picture of Julian into their footage convincingly. 

She didn't see Cap all day and when Halston did finally spot him in a hallway he darted through a wall to an area Alison had told her couldn't take any weight whatsoever.  _He's avoiding me,_ her mind had said it was right, he had been avoiding her. In her mind they'd made such great progress in the way the Captain thought about himself and acted the previous night and then she'd gone and – purely accidentally – made him uncomfortable which had been the total opposite of what she'd intended. He was a British army Captain for God's sake, he wasn't supposed to run.  _What happened to all that English stiff upper lip stuff?_ Halston hoped he gave up his avoidance tactics sooner rather than later, she'd become rather fond of him in the last week to ten days and leaving with his feelings up in the air would only work to make things worse for him and his outlook. 

When movie night with her cousin came and went, when the day after that came and went, still without any sign of the moustached spirit Halston gave up and went up to bed late in a somewhat melancholic mood. Halston would make certain that the next morning she had Kitty, Mary, Pat and Robin all looking for the military man and if that didn't work she'd bring out the big guns and convince Fanny to find him; if Lady Button on the warpath wasn't enough to make him see her nothing would be. 


	5. Chapter 5

Cap made his way down the long – and slightly decrepit – hallway with a tight grip on his guard stick. Pat, Mary and Robin had hassled him for almost two days to go see Halston; they'd not known why she wanted to see him but the Captain certainly did. He hated himself for hiding from her, he was a captain in His Majesty’s Army for heaven's sake, he didn't run away from danger like a coward. Halston had made him confront things about himself he'd tried so long and hard to hide, however, after a few days to think about it he was grateful to the American. Bisexual, just having a word for it made him feel better. That word didn't have as much hate and stigma attached to it as homosexual did; at least not in his mind. And, Halston had been correct, he was dead, there wasn't any reason to go on hiding who he was; wasn't like anyone could kill him. 

On another note he owed Halston an apology for his behaviour; he just hoped she'd forgotten about his 'beautiful' comment. After all, that was what had really frightened him off into the disused servants quarters.

The Captain was so preoccupied in his thoughts that he didn't hear the rock music that quietly drifted from Halston's room until he passed through the wooden white door. There he ground to a halt. She danced around happily with her black lined eyes closed. She had another of those high waisted short skirts on – a light tan one – as well as a simple black and white sleeved t-shirt. Although, it was her ridiculously long legs that had his attention and all without his permission; or hers for that matter. She wore thigh high black socks and heeled military boots that bordered on skyscraper. Fanny would have called it 'whoreish' but the Captain couldn't think of any word other than beautiful. 

He wasn't a fan of her music but the moustached man didn't much care since the way she pranced about – without falling over – was stunningly beautiful. She must have sensed him because Halston suddenly stopped and turned to face him, her long black hair that hung in waves brushed over her shoulder as he did so. 

There was that smile. “Oh, hi, Cap.” 

If the military man hadn't known any better he'd have thought she looked pleased to see him. Could anyone be _pleased_ to see a ghost just staring at them?

“Hello, Halston.” He greeted a little awkwardly.

The pause went on a smidgen too long and was nothing but uncomfortable for him; she'd spun around as though she'd expected to see Julian ogling her.

“What on earth is this racket and clangour?” He thrust his guard stick out towards the laptop which sat on her bed. 

“Hmm? Oh, it's _Halestorm_.” She told him as though he had any idea what that was beyond weather. “And it's not _racket_ or whatever the hell _clangour _means, Mister Modern Major General.” _How the hell does she know I sing that?_ “FYI I downloaded that of you want to watch it.”

“I don't understand any of that sentence. FYI?”

She smirked. “I have the movie of _The Pirates of Penzance_ on my laptop if you want to watch it.”

“That would be very kind, thank you.” That irritatingly persistent silence sounded again but Cap pushed through it. “Em, I came to apologize for my behaviour and for my abrupt absence. It was impolite.”

“It's alright, Cap, I get it.” She assured. “I just wanted _you_ to know it was all okay.”

Halston had started to sway slightly to the music again and he found it a little hypnotic, but did his best to keep his deep brown eyes off her. 

“I apologize still, it was very ungentlemanly behaviour to just walk out on a Lady. Especially one who is trying to help.”

“Nah, you're still the most gentlemanly dude I've ever met... and you're my friend.”

That took the Captain by surprise, he was actually taken aback and just stared at her a moment which Halston didn't seem to notice thankfully.

“Friends? I don't really have any friends, never did.” He spoke more to himself than to Halston but when he glanced up from his guard stick he found her looking almost sorrowful.

“You have Julian and Pat and all the others, they're your friends surely.” Her brow furrowed. “Maybe not Lady Button, there's a wall there.”

That had Cap breathe out a laugh that was more for her benefit than his own and he shook his head.

“No. We all exist together here but none of us are really friends despite how hard Pat tries.”

“Good job you've got me then.”

_She'll be gone soon_ , his mind told him cruelly. His head went to hang again and let the silence settle but then the song on her laptop changed and she shot towards it to crank the sound up. 

“Ooh! Listen to the lyrics, not a hundred percent you but it's a start.”

She started to dance again and because it was Halston who'd asked – a woman he'd come to respect – he obeyed and listened to the female singer. 

_Covered in black we lack the social graces._

_Just like an animal we crawl out of our cages._

_They can't tame us._

_So if you're one of us get on the bus._

 

The song burst into its chorus and bally hell was it a turn from _Modern Major General_ , still he listened though while Halston continued to dance around happily. 

_If you're a freak like me,_

_wave your flag!_

_If you're a freak like me,_

_get off your ass!_

_It's our time now,_

_to let it all hang out._

 

'If you're a freak like me, wave your flag' was what Halston had wanted him to hear, wanted him to focus on from this thing she called music. This was what Halston had tried to get through to him all along. Maybe if he just let go and relaxed, just this once, he'd not be under the thumb of his own fears and insecurities any longer. Suddenly something caught his attention and it was that he was dancing, well, swaying and foot tapping mostly. It wasn't anything like the dancing his mother had insisted he'd learnt as a child but still it was dancing. Perhaps this was his first toe-dip into the modern world. 

As the chorus raged on the Captain made a  decision that somehow terrified him more than the  Führer ever had; he started to copy Halston's movements and danced along with her. As soon as the American spotted him a huge grin spread across her face and for a moment he had the urge to stop, but this was a pleased smile not a teasing or judgemental one. The pair bounced around the room like mad people and Cap had to admit it was freeing, exciting and so different from anything he'd _ever_ done before in both life and death. The moustached man found her smile infectious and soon was grinning as well as they danced. This was actually fun and he'd not had fun since... well, since he'd been with Lily really. The Captain felt like he had when he'd been young and loving. 

With his new found fun he also discovered that he craved Halston's touch once more, her warmth, her tenderness, she was so soft and he'd not realised how much he'd missed touch. He urged to reach for her and dance properly but Cap also didn't wish to hurt her... or drain her, he didn't quite know the terminology. Cap's thoughts didn't get much further than there though. They ground to a halt as Alison and Mike burst in followed by a few of the ghosts. 

“What the bloody hell, Hals?!” Alison stopped dead seeing her cousin and the army spirit and stifled a smile.

Mike seemed confused by his wife's sudden mood change while Halston turned off the music and looked over at Alison apologetically; the Captain made quick work of straightening himself and pretending he'd not just been dancing around with a twenty-four year old  _living_ woman. 

“You lucky git.” Complained Julian from just behind Mike once he'd put together what they'd all walked in on.

“Imagine if Fanny had heard this racket.” Grumbled Thomas looking personally offended.

“She'd have been on the war path, that's for sure.” Pat tried to keep that pleasant and cheery smile on his face.

“I'm sorry, Ally,” began Halston “Cap and I got a little carried away.” 

Mike raised an eyebrow. “There are ghosts in here, aren't there?”

Both cousins nodded but it was the American who answered. “Several.”

Alison turned her attention to the military man completely forgetting Mike couldn't hear half their conversation. 

“Captain, were you just dancing?”

“No! Absolutely not. How preposterous.” It was then that he flashed his brown orbs over to Halston which revealed how disappointed she was that he'd slipped straight back into denial and propriety. He'd not wanted to disappoint her, not ever.  _How does she have this much power over my feelings?_ “Alright fine, yes, I was. I was living a little.” 

“More than a little if you ask me.” Julian continued to grumble simply because Cap had spent time with the sexy American and he hadn't. “Trying to get into her panties is more like it.”

Alison spun around. “Julian, shut up! That was seriously out of line.”

Julian actually had enough decency to look ashamed and bowed his head as his hands dropped to his sides.

“Okay.” they'd completely forgotten about Mike “I'm not sure what the heck is going on but I'm just gonna leave you two to it and go back downstairs to watch the game. Matt is probably wondering where we all went.” 

“Yeah.” Alison nodded. “Sure, Mike, you do that. Thanks.”

Mike left quickly, he'd grown less paranoid about the dead folk in the house but he still didn't like to linger. He shut the door on the ghosts as well so it had left the Captain and the two cousin's alone. There was a momentary pause and then Alison started to laugh as though someone had told her a joke.

“Nice moves, Cap.”

That got a very unladylike snort from Halston. “Ally, be nice. He's coming out... of his shell.” She added the last bit quickly. 

“Alright, sorry.” The English cousin smirked. “After I saw that weird moon thing they were doing I thought I'd seen everything.”

“It was to celebrate the eclipse.” The Captain informed.

Alison calmed herself. “Whatever. Okay, so the game started and I think Matt is irritated that you're not down there, just a heads up on that. You still good to go to go on this walk thing later with Robin and Pat? It's a nice day at least.” 

Halston nodded. “Yeah, of course I am. I put my sexy but practical shoes on and everything.” 

The Captain glanced down to her heels, _th_ _ey_ _is practical?_

“Cool. Don't know how I got roped in but I didn't want to be the only one. See you downstairs?” 

“Yeah, I'll be there in a minute.”

Alison vacated the room but much more calmly than her husband had and the ghost found himself alone with Halston again. He watched in silence as she went to shut down her laptop only to pause bend half over the bed and glanced over her shoulder at him. So beautiful. 

“Halston?”

“Uh-huh, what's up Cap?” She asked with a smile.

“May I join you on this walk?”

“Of course you can. It's your house too. You want to watch documentaries while we're watching the game?” 

“If you have no objection, that would be lovely. Thank you.”

If he had the laptop then he could just sit and watch, he didn't have to go downstairs and face his fellow spectres; he rather liked that idea.

“Not a problem at all, Cap.”

He stood silently for a moment while she set everything up for him but soon he spotted her smiling up at him.

“Why are you smiling?” He enquired with a furrowed brow.

“You didn't hide yourself from Alison, good for you.”

Was this young woman proud of him? He instantly brushed that thought aside and instead of speaking he settled on a polite nod. 

After only a few minutes a narrator was talking about T-27 tanks and Halston bid him a goodbye. Cap settled himself and listened, it was then he realised what Halston had been trying to get through to him; he could still be the strong army captain if he admitted to himself that he was bisexual, that he liked to dance with a woman who'd titled herself his friend. Accepting one part of himself didn't mean losing another. 


	6. Chapter 6

 

A short time after the game had finished Mike and Matt had gone down into the village for a pint or three while Alison ended up on the phone to the Historical Society. Once she'd calmed down Alison had actually appreciated what the Captain had done, Button House was her and Mike's dream and they'd have regretted it for the rest of their lives. Yes they were out of money, yes their jobs made fuck all but this was their house, their  _home_ ... and yes their ghosts as well.  Still, all of that didn't mean Alison liked dealing with the Historical Society and their rules.

That phone call had left Hals alone and somehow she'd been roped into explaining  WIFI to Mary and Thomas, something Mary grasped far faster than Thomas did. It struck the American that many – both living and dead – presumed Mary simple due to the way she spoke and the time period she'd died in as well as her station in said era, however, there was a difference between education and intelligence … and Mary was actually remarkably intelligent. 

“Do you get it now?” Asked Halston hopefully. 

Mary nodded with a happy smile. “The wind carries its.” 

Halston shrugged. “Sure, let's roll with that.” 

Thomas appeared far less impressed by the whole idea and frankly seemed more interested in Halston's legs; which she wasn't surprised about in the slightest. 

“I still don't see why a letter has to become obsolete. Where is the personality? The time and effort one puts into penning a message?”

“I see your point but you're still focused on Email not WIFI and I'm not getting into Email all over again.” She'd already explained that twice to no avail. “Mary, explain it all to him again, would you? I need to go meet Alison.” 

“I wills teach the simpleton.”

“Hey! I am an artist!” The poet protested causing Mary to just mumble under her breath.

“Soppy bit 'o rag.”

Intent on leaving the merry-go-round of a conversation Halston rose to her heeled feet and strode out the room in search of her cousin. Didn't take very long to find the older woman, she was stood by the front door still on the phone. When she glanced over towards the staircase green eyes spotted Robin and Pat sat on the bottom step chatting away about something, but the Captain was nowhere in sight;  _maybe he decided not to come._

Thoughts of going in search of the moustached man had just started to flutter into her mind when suddenly she felt a presence stood tall behind her having passed through the wall; Halston smiled softly. 

“Hello, oh Captain, my Captain.” 

He moved into her peripheral vision. 

“Can't advance without you spotting my position I see.” 

That made her chuckle slightly as she turned to face him fully. He had his guard stick tucked under his left arm.

“Nope. I can sense you remember? The whole feel and channel it thing.”

“Hmm.” He didn't seem too pleased at his reconnaissance capabilities being thwarted but Hals suspected that was more for show than what he actually believed. “Will Alison be ending her conversation on the telephone or shall we touring the perimeter without her?”

The raven-haired beauty observed the ghost a moment. “You didn't want them here. Kitty told me you tricked her, that you were the one who wanted them gone and yet you did all that so they'd stay.”

The Captain brushed it off. “Give them long enough and Alison will realise this whole hotel business is futile.”

He didn't have to look down at Halston to know she wasn't buying it. She saw through his attempts at deception better than his mother had when he'd been a child. 

“No. I think you did it because it was what the others wanted. You did it for them, not you, not some weird long con angel, but them. Troop moral and all that, we can call it that if you want.”

“Not at all.” He shook his head but before he could say more Halston was speaking. 

“You can't fool me, Cap.”

He internally sighed. The military man knew she was right and that Halston _knew_ she was right. Cap wasn't sure how but the American woman had gotten to know him pretty well during her short stay; probably better than any of the ghosts did. She was in his head.

Alison hung up the call then and walked across the small room to her cousin and the Captain; she looked somewhat drained. 

“All okay?”

Alison just grumbled. “I think so, yeah, it's just they do like to go on and bloody on.” She tucked her phone away in her back pocket. “So, are we off? You'll love the lake … if Thomas isn't sat in it.”

Halston chose to ignore that comment and instead cast a glance over to where the other ghosts sat. 

“Pat! Robin! We're ready if you are.”

Quickly the two ghosts made their way over to the girls and Captain. Pat looked as excited and happy as ever while Robin was probably just looking forwards to talking randomly about bears.

“Take it away, Pat.” Halston encouraged which the _incredibly_ short ghost seemed pleased with. “You're out tour guide.”

“Ooh, okay, off we go then. Let's go to the edge of the property and work our way back towards the house.”

Robin bounced off ahead of them calling over his shoulder as they went. “I can show cave!”

“Cave?”

The Captain's brow furrowed as he spoke to himself more than anyone else. Somehow Robin managed to hear him and charged back to his friends.

“Yeah, cave. Used to sleep in cave when water fall out sky.”

“When it rained.” Alison corrected.

Robin nodded. “Yeah, rained.”

Suddenly irritated by where he saw the conversation heading, the Captain moved things along in the only way he knew how; military order.

“Alright, come on. Move out troops.”

Pat rolled his eyes. “Not troops, mate.”

The small group headed out and let Pat talk happily about everything he knew about Button House and the land it sat on. Robin had beamed when he'd shown them his cave that he'd once napped in; though it only _just_ classed as a cave. The two ghosts seemed happy doing their little tour so Halston, Cap and Alison didn't mention that they actually weren't that interested. The English cousin looped her arm with the American one as they walked, the pair fell back a little from Pat as he continued to reel off information. 

“The Historical Society want to rip up the cellar floor and do a whole _thing._ I don't know ow we're going to cope with all these ghosts _and_ no cellar floor.”

Halston took a breath. “Ally, they've already proven that they want you to stay.” 

“That's not the point-” Halston cut her cousin off. 

“That is exactly the point. How would you like it if someone came into your home without warning, somewhere you've been for almost as long as you could remember, and told you that you had no rights, that it wasn't yours anymore and you had no say in anything? They've moved passed that anger and outrage now – especially Fanny – and want you to stay. You're one of them, well and honorary member since you'd have to die to actually be one of them. If they've come to want you and Mike around then the time will come that they accept the hotel. If you get their input on things, even simple things like paint colors or something like that, if you make them a part of it they'll feel as though you're all in this together; which you are.” Halston sighed. “However, if you keep only wanting them around when they can do something for you and then wanting them gone when it's no longer convenient then nothing will ever change and they'll just rebel against you like teens not getting their way.” She fixed her eyes on Alison. “You have to respect them, Ally.” 

Alison sighed as they contained to walk, Pat's running commentary all but ignored.

“When did you get so wise? You're bloody younger than I am.”

Halston just shrugged. “When I fell into a pool and died. It made me wise and gave me a macabre sense of humour.”

“I suppose that would do it.” Alison nodded to herself. “Okay, respect the ghosts, I can do that. Kitty has got to stop sleeping in my room though. I mean, she's dead, how does she even sleep?” 

“I can help convince her to stay out, just give me a day or so.” The walked in quiet a few steps before and idea struck Halston and she suddenly got rather excited. “Ooh, how about you cordon off a room of the hotel when it's finished and use it just for the ghosts? Call it a common room.” 

The elder cousin looked sceptical. “I don't know, we need all the space we can get.”

Halston rolled her eyes. “Ally, it's one room and it doesn't have to be huge.” 

Alison let out a sigh. “Fine, okay, a common room.”

Halston smiled. “See, compromise isn't all that bad.”

The Captain paused in his step then long enough for the two women to catch up with him and put a few steps between himself and the two makeshift tour guides. Once he was beside Halston he leant his head down to almost touch the American's shoulder. 

“Please get him to cease retelling his bear encounters.” He half pleaded which only made the girls laugh. 

“Em, Pat,” he spun around with a 'yes, Alison' “why don't you carry on with the tour. Gate house next?”

“Oh, righto.” 

Meanwhile Julian watched them from the window. Mary and Thomas had long ago gotten bored of his grumblings and slipped through the walls to do … well, whatever they did when unsupervised; Humphrey hadn't been so lucky. 

“Why does _he_ get to spend time with Haly?” 

Humphrey peered over at him from the piano where he'd been dumped by his traitorous body.

“Em, didn't she ask you to stop calling her that? And maybe because you're the wirdo with no trouses on and he's-” 

Julian spun around to face the head with a deeply furrowed brow. “Why though?! He's … you know, _The Captain._ He's all 'do as I say' and 'I'm in charge'. Why does he get to monopolize her time?”

“Well, some women like being told what to do by a man in uniform, don't they.” Humphrey said to himself more than Julian. “Perhaps she just likes him more than you, stranger things have happened. Now, would you _please_ put me over on the table like you said you would, the light over here is blinding me.”

Julian sighed looking very inconvenienced. “Oh, alright.” 

The former MP picked Humphrey's head up and moved him over to the large, dark wood table and set him down softly out of the direct sunlight. Humphrey sighed in relief.

“Oh, that's much better, thank you, Julian.” 

Julian battered Humphrey's thanks away. “Yes, yes, you're welcome. Now, back to perky little Halston. What did he do to get her attention? Maybe I could find out and do the same, she'd spend more time with me than Captain Closet out there. Mmm, more time with me would mean more time with her cleavage too.” 

Humphrey raised an eyebrow, not that Julian noticed. “Em, I don't think that's going to work. You can see why, right?”

Once more Julian brushed him off. “Eh, what would you know? You're just a head.”

With that Julian strode out of the room leaving Humphrey alone though now not in the sun.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry but this chapter is mostly just speech.

 

Hours after satisfying Pat by taking his tour of the property Alison and Halston joined the men in their lives at the pub – something that had already become rare since blowing through the loans. It was a rather quaint little village pub in all honesty; thatched roof and everything. 

“Fire hazard.” Were the first words out of Halston's mouth when they left the Alison's car which caused her cousin to smirk. 

“Yeah, I've always wondered about those. Still, I need a drink and with having a job now I don't get many.” 

Halston followed Ally up and into the village pub;  h er heels clicked all the way.  It was glaringly obvious to everyone that Halston wasn't from around these parts. 

“I'm surprised you got so long off work  what with you being new and all.” 

Alison snorted. “Yeah, told a little white lie.” 

Halston paused and cast a glance over at her cousin with a knowing expression. 

“Who died?” 

“Grandma.” Said Alison without a hint of embarrassment or shame, something the American was accustom to. 

“Between us she's died a good twenty-six times, I think.” 

They'd been using the old 'my Grandma died' lie since they were teens to get out of things, and it had always worked rather well; apart from that time Alison used it twice in as many months with her old boss.

Alison shrugged. “Ahh, she's a game girl.”

The two women looked around for a moment then until they found Mike and Matt sat at a corner table furthest from the door with almost empty glasses on the table before them. The pair seemed to be getting on well which was nice. As soon as they sat down Mike instantly pressed a loving kiss to his wife's lips while Matthew wrapped an arm around Halston; she didn't make a single attempt to lean into the tall man's touch nor did she react when he kissed her temple. 

“You two been having run?” Asked Ally happily.

Mike nodded. “Yeah, uh-huh. Matt has been telling me about his company back in the States.” 

Alison's eyes widened as her brow raised. “Company? As in your own business?”

Matthew nodded. “Yes. My father started it long before I was born similar to how Haly's father did.”  _Stop calling me that,_ Halston internally screamed. “It's not anything huge, we're certainly not Apple.” 

“Oh, well, what is it you do exactly?” She seemed genuinely interested which was more than could be said for Halston. 

“We manufactured film originally but when digital came in we shifted our tactics a little. We still make film for collectors who want old-fashioned cameras but now we design and construct the cameras themselves. It's not the sort of cameras you'd take away on vacation, we make large cameras like you'd use for shooting a movie or TV show.”

Matt seemed rather proud of himself as always and annoyingly Alison appeared impressed.

“Wow! That's why you have so much tech stuff.”

Matthew nodded as he took the last sip of his drink. “Yep.”

“That's so cool. Isn't that cool, Mike.”

“Yeah, cool. I thought so. He's going to help me hook up those surround speakers tomorrow.” Mike followed Matt's lead and downed what was left of his pint.

“Great.” The English cousin turned her attention over to the American one. “Mike's been wanting to get those hooked up for weeks now.”

Halston flashed Alison a smile. “Always need a good speaker system, what else are we supposed to blast Rammstein out of?”

Alison rolled her eyes in an overly dramatic and teasing way. “Oh, I don't know, your laptop cranks up pretty well. And what is it with you and the screaming music?”

“Hey, learn German then complain about them.” She teased back.

“What's this about cranking up a laptop?” Matt asked curiously though he didn't seem amused like the cousins did.

“Hals and the Captain were dancing.”

“Kinda wish I could have seen that.” Muttered Mike as he glanced at the bar longing for a new drink. “World War Two guy dancing to your cousin's rock music, yeah, would have paid.”

Matt looked over at his girlfriend, a smile on his face but not in his eyes.

“You're dancing with ghosts now, as well as watching TV with them?”

Hals shrugged; she didn't really care what Matt thought or wanted. “I liked the Captain, he's really quite sweet in a cute sort of way.”

The elder cousin raised an eyebrow. “Sweet? He's a dick most of the time.”

“You should just sit down and talk to him. There's more to him than drills and orders.”

Alison didn't look very convinced but still she nodded. “Yeah, I'll take your word for it.” 

Matt piped up again then only this time there was a lot more calm and interest in his tone rather than the irritation that had been there before; irritation that had only been obvious to Halston. 

“Do we know his name yet? Everyone knows the scout dude died there-”

“Pat.” He ignored Alison.

“-and the freak of an MP-”

“Julian.” Again Alison went ignored.

“but they're not very interesting from a haunting point of view, an Army Captain would bring in more interest. War always does.”

Alison thought for a moment, surely someone had to have mentioned the Captain's real name. If they had she'd either not heard it or not paid attention.

“You know,” she began looked a bit ashamed of herself “I've never asked his name. I can ask though, I guess.”

Matt smiled at the English woman. “Get his name, it'll help.”

Hmm, Halston knew  _exactly_ how it would help Matthew. Help him start shovelling pictures of the Cap into their footage; why Halston still mentally referred to it as  _their_ footage she couldn't quite work out. It was all Matt's crap, she wanted no part of his lies. As soon as they got back to Nevada Halston would cut him loose and he could try to con some other poor idiot into his plans and fuckary. Wasn't her fault he'd practically driven his father's company into the ground and she sure as hell wouldn't go digging him out of his mess; especially not off the backs of the dead. Still, she'd smile and be polite until they got back home. 

“Sorry,” began Mike pulling Halston out of her thoughts “can't let the girls go thirsty.” 

Halston flashed a smile seeing a way out of Matt's touch. “I'll help you.” 

With a 'thanks, Halston' the pair rose to their feet and headed off to the bar to get another round of drinks in. Alison thought it a little odd the way Matthew stared at Hals until she was literally at the bar itself but pushed it aside in favour of conversation. 

“So, how many haunted houses have you and Hals investigated?”

“Not many.” He confessed. “I'll convince her to look at some more when we're back State side.”

Alison smiled fondly thinking of young cousin. “I'm not sure how she can be so  _normal_ about it all the whole time. Still weirds me out and I live in a haunted house where the ghosts are basically Casper the Friendly Ghost.” 

“Well, Haly has been doing it since she was a little kid. She's had time to adjust to it. You will too.” He shrugged a little. “Maybe once we get the show up and running you could guest. Two hot girls that can see and talk to the dead? TV gold.” 

Alison blushed a little, she'd always believed herself rather plain, especially compared to Halston who seemed to have been blessed by Aphrodite herself. Halston had always just had this way of being stunning what with the boldness of her green eyes and the little outfits she managed to squeeze herself into, then there were those shoes and how the hell did she walk in those; not that she bore her cousin any ill will. 

“Gosh! You think I could be in TV?”

Matt nodded slightly. “Why not? You'd just be talking to them like you do now only with a camera on you.”

“Weirdly, that sounds like fun. I'd be happy to.”

“Awesome.”

When Ally spoke again it was mid argument with her jacket but she managed to get it off and hand the annoying thing over the arm of her chair. 

“Have you gotten anything on the cameras you set up around the house? Would be nice to show Mike I'm not actually mad.”

“No, not yet but I still have a lot of footage to go though before I can be sure. Could come across anything.” There was a slight bite to Matt's words but Alison dismissed it. 

“I hope you do get something, like I said, Mike still thinks I'm nuts and he's always thought Hals was mad. Sexy but mad was the way he described her to me, as you can imagine he backpeddled after he found out she was my cousin.” 

Matthew breathed out a laugh as he ran a large hand through his messy hair.

“In my experience, everyone thinks that about Haly at first.” 

“You know, I'm surprised she lets you call her that, I called her it once when we were kids and she threw a fit. She hated it.”

Matt smirked to himself. “I think I've gotten it to grow on her. You're a bit older than her, right?”

“Uh-huh.” Alison nodded. “Five years. Didn't stop us when we were kids though. Hals has always been mature for her age and we were the only kids in our tiny family so we got on. Emailed each other all the time.”

Matthew's head cocked to the side. “Is it just the two of you left?”

Alison nodded a little sorrowfully. “Yeah. For now anyway.”

Mike and Halston returned then each holding two glasses, Mike set his spare down before Matt while Hals did the same for Ally before taking their seats. 

“The bloody line of there is mental. What you two chatting about?”

Alison flashed her husband a teasing grin. “We're talking about you not to you.”

Matt's dark eyes raked over the table, three pints and a glass of rich amber liquid. Those eyes panned up to Halston's porcelain face. 

“What is it with you and bourbon?”

Hals shrugged. “Habit I picked up from my Dad. Besides Guinness just needs to stop existing and I never liked beer.”

“Savage!” Mike accused from behind his glass; Halston grinned, she'd always liked Mike. 

“I've always had two indulgences in life, my shoes and my bourbon.”

The group chuckled.

“I really don't know how you walk in those things. I'd die.”

“Practice.” Was the only answer the American woman gave.


	8. Chapter 8

 

While the cousins, Mike and Matthew were out at the pub the ghosts had all gathered in the common room as usual. The Captain and Robin played chess quietly Pat was chit-chating away as always at the rest of the dead house mates. All was reasonably peaceful until Julian burst in which forced away their peace. He'd done his tie up to the top and buttoned his blazer closed, he looked as smart and presentable as he could without pants on. 

Pat raised an eyebrow. “You alright, Julian?”

“I'm ready.” He grinned proudly.

Fanny rolled her eyes expecting idiocy. “Do enlighten us, why don't you. What new twisted scheme have come up with now?”

“How dare you. I am a respected politician.” Julian insisted as he always did; frankly they were all sick of hearing that.

Thomas sighed. “Oh don't start all that toffee again.” 

“What doing?”

“Glad you asked, Robin. I am going to win Halston's heart.” 

The group burst out laughing; Julian seemed so confident and it only made them laugh harder. Of course it was Pat who quietened down first, respectful as always. 

“She is _not_ interested in you, oaf.” Grumbled Fanny. “She told you so herself. You really are a half wit, aren't you.”

“And she's with Matthew.” Kitty reminded in a voice only a little _too_ high pitched. 

“And alives.” 

Thomas nodded. “Yes, alives is a problem. _Alive_! I mean alive.”

Julian could feel everyone's eyes on him and he didn't like it, it made him lash out with whatever came to his mind first.

“Didn't stop Captain Pervert over there.” He loosely gestured to the Captain who still sat opposite Robin at the chessboard.

Cap shot to his feet and thrust out his swagger stick accusingly. “How very dare you, sir! I will not be compared to someone of your low morals. I have done nothing but befriended young Miss Halston and have conducted myself in only a respectable manner.” 

Julian glanced off out the window as he straightened his tie – unnecessarily – clearly uninterested and not believing the moustached man.

“Trying to get into her panties.” The former MP singsonged irritatingly. 

“Guys, please!”

Pat had intended to draw everyone's attention to try and get them all to calm down, however, the best he got was a quick glance from Mary before she went back to the display before her. No, despite his intentions Pat went ignored. 

“Were you in His Majesty's Army I'd have you up on charges!” The Captain was outraged. “I will not stand for this slander.” 

With that the military man stormed out of their common room to who knew where leaving everyone to just glare at Julian who seemed rather pleased with himself.

“That was mean, Julian. You're mean.” Kitty accused only for Pat to nod and push up his glasses; this was his chance to clam everyone down.

“Kitty is right, that was cruel and not needed. Why did you do that? The Captain has always been standoffish, it's good Halston is his friend, because that's all they are, Julian, friends.”

Fanny nodded, though her frown didn't face; maybe it was ingrained. 

“You just want her body – true she does flaunt herself like a whore – but no woman should be subjected to unwanted advances.” 

Julian seemed aghast though all suspected it was put-on. “I'm a catch.”

“You are a lunatic, Sir.” Said Thomas with a laugh.

“Dead one.” Added Mary quietly to herself.

Fanny sat rested her hands in her lap as she furrowed her brow in her trademark way.

“Tell me, what is your plan? You cannot take her to dinner, you cannot dance with her or hole her in your arms. You cannot even leave the grounds.”

Julian raised a curious eyebrow. “So you think if she was dead I'd stand a better chance, hmm.”

Thomas shot up from where he'd been perching on the edge of the couch beside Mary. He'd had enough of Julian and his barbaric schemes; it just wasn't gentlemanly at all. One did not woo a woman by killing her for heaven's sake.

“No more pushing ladies out windows, damn your eyes!” He yelled, slipping into that usually hidden accent. 

“Certainly not.” Fanny agreed. “Someone should watch him at all times.”

Kitty's eyes suddenly widened as a wave of caution crawled across her face. “Keep him under guard? Really?”

“Now,” began Pat “I'm sure that's not needed, guys. Julian knows better than to push someone else out a window … again.” All went quiet as the other ghosts just stared at him blankly. Pat relented. “Alright, I'll watch him until Halston and Matthew go home to America.” 

All of the ghosts – save for Julian of course – seemed pleased with that.

“What is this, house arrest? Soviet Russia?!”

Pat gestured in what he thought was a calming way. “If you think about it we can't leave the property so we're always under house arrest.”

As usual it was actually Robin, not Pat, who settled the argument and got everyone back to whatever it was they'd been doing before Julian had strutted in.

“Julian, come play chess. Not good as Captain but can play.”

The former MP threw his hands up. “Oh, thanks.”

Still he went to sit where the Captain had been a few minutes earlier.

 

~X~

 

When Alison, Halston and the boys returned home it was plain to see that something had happened between the ghosts. The Cap was nowhere to be seen and Julian looked to be grumbling to himself in a corner. The cousins glanced at one another a moment, neither one impressed, before Alison perched on the couch arm and Halston folded her arms across her chest. 

“Okay,” began Alison “what happened? Cough up.”

Mike's eyebrow rose. “I'm guessing the room is full of dead people?”

Alison nodded without looking up at her husband. “Oh yeah, almost all of them.”

A grin spread across Mike's face. “Fantastic! I'm going for a bath.”

Mike didn't eve wait a moment, he just fled upstairs; had it been a cartoon he'd have left a Mike shaped puff of smoke. Matthew stared at the doorway a moment before he addressed the girls.

“I'd better go through our footage. Maybe we got something.”

Hals and Alison waited a moment after Matt had left before they started to grill the dead for answers as to what the hell had happened. 

“Come on, what happened?” Asked Halston in a 'you'd better answer the question' tone. 

Thomas was quick to answer; he really did love the sound of his own voice at times. He loved telling on Julian far more.

“Just Julian believing himself to be a Lothario.” 

“It's probably best you not know.” Pat informed. “Rest assured its been dealt with.”

“Spoil sport.” Grumbled the politician.

“Alright, I don't even care.” Alison stood. “Hals, I'm going to start on dinner.”

“Lasagne?”

As everyone knew Alison wasn't the best cook, so when she said 'start on dinner' she really meant get a lasange out the freezer. However, this time Alison had something else up her sleeve. 

“Actually no, Spaghetti Bolognese.”

Halston's head tilted. “You do know that they're basically the same thing, right?” 

“No it's not.” Called the blonde as she headed out the room. “There's a whole different set of cooking instructions on the box.”

Alison may have been able to see the ghosts that haunted Button house but it was nothing compared to what Halston could do. She was fully aware of the way their spectral energy was silently stewing away. 

“Right, what happened? Come on, someone tell me.” When no one seemed willing she turned her attention to Kitty knowing she'd crack really rather easily. “Kitty?” Somehow Kitty managed to stay quiet, instead staring down at her feet. _Plan B then_. “Pat?”

Sure enough words started to tumble from the scout master's mouth but none of it made sense so, once he fell silent, Robin took over; odd that the cave man made more sense than the man who'd died in 1984.

“Julian wants to make bang bang with you.” 

Halston's brow furrowed. “What?” 

She'd meant to say 'why would that even be something he thought he could achieve' but Fanny took it to mean the American didn't understand.

“Coitus, my dear. He wishes to use you as little more than a common prostitute. Disgusting if you ask me.”

“Okay.” She drew out the word as she spun around to face the MP. “Julian, you're dead and even if you weren't, it's not going to happen. Dude, you've got nice legs, I'll give you that but that's where it ends. Sorry, but no.” 

Ever the politician Julian didn't want to take that as an answer. “What about if-”

Halston cut him off. “Nope! Not happening so stop thinking about it, talking about it, or anything else about it.” She turned back to Pat. “Pat, have you been to see Jemima today?”

The short man shook his head. “No, Robin went.”

Both looked over to the caveman. “Creepy girl, sweet when talk to though.”

Hals smiled, she did adore Robin. “Thank you, Robin, I said you were a sweetheart. I'm going to see the plague victims. I _really_ need to remember their names. Is one of them Nigel?” Halston muttered to herself as she left the ghosts to it. 

She made her way towards the basement wondering what the hell had gotten into Julian's head. He needed to stop with whatever his weird crush was.  _I mean, it's flattering in a way but he did push my cousin out a fucking window._ Yes, Kitty had let that one slip in the first few days after Halston had arrived; the secret was safe though.  _Julian will get over it, surely._

Just as the American was about to pull open the basement door The Captain passed through the wall to her right and stopped her in her tracks.

“Ahh, you're back. Excellent.”

Something seemed off about him.

“You alright, Cap?”

He seemed distant a moment. “Yes, yes, perfectly fine, thank you.”

Halston wasn't falling for it. “No you're not.” With thoughts of seeing the plague victims forgotten Hals turned to face him fully. “Tell me.” 

Cap sighed. “Julian he-”

She cut him off. “Has a weird and unneeded crush on me that'll probably fade away tomorrow.”

“Yes but no. He accused me of … of attempting to … _touch_ you inappropriately and against your will. The slander of it all.”

Halston smiled up at him with an almost angelic glow that made her polished emeralds shine. She had this way of making people feel as though everything was alright just with one look. 

“Julian is just trying to get a rise out of you and besides, I've made it very clear to Julian that nothing is _ever_ going to happen.”

Several thoughts seemed to past across the Captain's face, he seemed outraged by the whole situation. His honour had been tarnished in his eyes but to Halston it was just Julian being a twat. 

“You know I would never attempt-” She cut his worrying off.

“I know, Cap. Please stop worrying about this because it really doesn't matter. You're a good man, a little stiff at times but still a good man.”

Cap seemed mildly surprised and gripped his swagger stick tight for mental support.

“Thank you. No one has had so much belief in me since I was alive; maybe longer.”

Halston just smiled at him softly; Cap really could be quite insecure once someone took the time to get to know him.

“You're welcome. I have to go see the guys in the basement but I'll see you later.”

Cap cleared his throat; a little habit left over from his days as a living man. “Yes, right-o.”

He passed back through the wall then and Hals couldn't help but wonder where he headed off to, hopefully nowhere to sulk or over think everything like he usually did. Maybe she should have offered to go upstairs and find something for him to watch on her laptop. Didn't matter, he was already gone and she had promised to go see the victims in the plague pit downstairs. Alison hadn't even thought about explaining what the Historical Society wanted to do so Halston had taken it upon herself. In one smooth motion she pulled open the door and made her way down into the darkness. 


	9. Chapter 9

 

It was really rather late when Halston made her way down to the kitchen for some water. The light wasn't even switched on before she greeted Robin.  Sure enough when the light did go on there was Robin stood beside the large table looking as though he had just been meandering around all night. Most people jumped when  they saw him but Halston just seemed to always know when he was there and that actually pleased the caveman; sometimes making people jump got boring.

“What are you doing down here in the dark all alone, Robin?” The American asked.

Robin shrugged. “Kim Wilde asked no turn light on when moonah out.” 

Translation: I'm not meant to go around switching on all the lights at two in the morning and cranking up the electricity bill.

“Oh, okay.”

Halston went to the sink and picked up a recently washed glass that she filled up and took a deep gulp of water. Robin just watched her in that curious way of his. 

“ Thank you for going to see Jemima earlier.” 

“She scary but shadow goddess welcome.” Replied the caveman as Halston turned to face him.

She smiled at him from behind her glass. Since arriving at Button House Halston had gotten to understand the ghosts rather well. They all had things that made them tick, and, if she was being truly honest, the Captain really was her favourite simply because she'd had such a bond with her grandfather so her knowledge of the Second World War was rather extensive. Well, that and the fact she could relate when it came to his sexuality worries. However, Robin had been there the longest, he'd seen countless houses and settlements come and go and he'd done it all alone. Robin had been so alone for so long that deep down the only thing he let himself be truly attached to was chess; even if the board vanished chess couldn't leave him. He cared about the other ghosts and wanted them to remain but he couldn't shake the feeling that one day they'd pass on and leave him behind as well. They may have been dead for hundreds of years but that was only the blink of an eye for Robin. 

“ Robin, sweetheart, you can call me Halston.” She refilled the glass. “It is my name after all. Or you could call me Hals.” She paused a moment as she took a long gulp. “Robin, I've been wondering, how did you get named  _ Robin _ ? Not really a caveman name.” 

Robin shrugged. “Mary. She next ghost. We in garden and she saw bird. Been name since.”

“You've been alone here a very long time, haven't you.”

It wasn't a question,  just a mournful statement but still Robin nodded. 

“Not now.”

Halston couldn't help but flash him a smile. “No, not anymore.” The American medium finished off her water and made to leave. “I'll see you in the morning, Robin.” 

“ Wait.” Robin reached out a hand to stop her and Hals turned to face him. “Can I watch pain face?” 

Halston's brow furrowed. “Why do you like watching me do my make-up so much?” Robin shrugged. “Okay, yeah, sure. You can watch me do my make-up in the morning. Night, Robin.” 

“Nighty night.”

The medium headed back to her and Matt's room without seeing any other ghosts while Robin remained in the kitchen darkness. He stood there quietly, wasn't like he had anywhere to be. Or at least he stood there until someone slipped through the  wall.

“She still not happy with me?”

Robin turned to face Julian who had the courtesy to looks somewhat ashamed of himself. His tie had been loosened again and his collar button opened. No one had seen much of Julian since his little outburst at the Captain. 

“ Does bear live in cave?” 

Julian's brow furrowed. “Bear?”

“No pushy!”

With that Robin wandered off to find another dark corner to haunt.

 

~X~

 

The day finally came where Halston would be leaving the next afternoon and Cap would surely go back to being miserable. He didn't know if he could carry on tip-toeing out of his shell without the young medium by his side for encouragement. Fanny and Mary didn't seem overly concerned nor worried or anything even remotely similar to the news that Halston would soon return to Nevada. Robin, Pat and Kitty appeared a upset since they'd made a friend in Halston while Thomas and Julian would only miss her beauty no matter how much they argued otherwise. The Captain though, he felt as though he were loosing a part of himse lf. He didn't want the medium to go back to America. She'd promised she'd come back and he believed her; didn't make him feel any better though. 

All day Kitty had followed Halston around Button House like a puppy who didn't want their owner to go to work. Matt had seemed particularly irritated as well. He'd had no idea the Captain could see him but still the man grumbled as he packed away his mass of equipment for the flight. 

“Are you alright, Captain?”

Alison's voice knocked him out of his trance, how long he'd been in it the military man didn't know and frankly didn't much care. He looked up at the new Lady Button from where he sat on the stairs; most unusual a sitting place for him.

“I'm fine, thank you, Alison.” He told her assuredly but she didn't seem convinced.

Alison sat down beside him looking vaguely concerned.

“It's because Hals is leaving, isn't it?” The Captain went stiff; grip tight on his swagger stick. “It's okay, it is kind of obvious you like her.” She breathed out a laugh. “Fortunately your version of  _ like  _ isn't as pervy as Julian's is. But Halston is my cousin so of course she'll come back to visit.” 

The moustached man glanced at Alison out the corner of his eye. “When did you become so conversational with us?” His voice wasn't harsh or insulting, just a confused question.

Alison shrugged. “Hals made me see you guys in a new light and made me realise that I didn't do communication with you all very well. Even Fanny has stopped complaining about her so I think Halston has done us all some good.” Alison chuckled. “Fanny stopping complaining, that's like an honour around here.” 

The Captain nodded in agreement. “Most certainly.”

“All the complaining you lot did when I asked her out here and now you don't want her to go either.”

Cap's brow furrowed. “Either?”

Alison was quiet a moment as she stared down at her hands in her lap.

“Hals is my only blood family, all I have is her and Mike. Same for her, well, she's got some distant great aunt that she's only met once when she was like six. Obviously neither of us have siblings.” The brunette woman sighed. “Yep, it's just us and I'd not seen her in ages. I've loved these last two weeks with her. Don't like Matt though, there's something not right there.” 

“Oh, you can say that again. Stranger than a polite Jerry that one.”

“Racism aside, you know what he's hiding?” Alison was suddenly very interested.

The Cap nodded slightly. “Halston told me. He wants to fake the footage he's been recording so he can get something called a _paranormal investigation_ show on television. He seems quite insistent despite Halston's vehement refusal.” 

Alison rolled her eyes. “No wonder he got all weird when Mike asked to see the film he'd recorded. He's really faking all of it? Wouldn't that be easy to prove?”

“I have no idea. Halston won't let him do it though. She won't lie, it's why Matthew is always irritated with her.” 

“That dude is a dick.”

Cap couldn't argue with that, in fact he agreed wholeheartedly.

“She said she plans on ending their relationship once they get back to America. Apparently she would have done so before coming here but she never got the chance.”

The sooner Halston was free of Matthew Olsen the better in the Captain's mind. That man was a wild card and the military man didn't want him around Halston longer than was necessary.

“Alright, okay, I'd better not add him to the Christmas card list then.” Alison sighed. “Hals and I may not have seen each other in a while but she's basically my little sister, I should know these things.” Her full of life eyes turned up at the uniformed officer. “Why are you so taken with her? Kitty, Thomas and Julian I understand. Pat is nice to everyone, so is Robin, but I didn't think you'd like her so much.” 

The Captain cleared his throat. “Halston has … grown on me.” Was that the best he could do? “She reminds me of someone I knew as a young man. Also, she has a good heart.”

Alison and the ghost were silent for a time until the living woman took a breath.

“Do you know what happened when she was a kid? At the pool?”

Yes, the Captain remembered that story well; the thought of a child feeling themselves drown still disturbed him.

“She died.” Was all he said.

“Yeah. I wasn't there but when I found out I thought they meant she'd been playing with Mermaids.” The Captain raised an eyebrow at her. “I was only little and I certainly didn't understand death. She was different the next time I saw her, I was only a kid but even then I knew something was different. My parents always thought Hals was weird.”

“I would say more aware than _weird_.” He told Alison feeling an odd need to defend the American. 

“ Frankly, I would too.” 

“Alison?!” Mike suddenly called down the stairs and his wife's head tilted upwards instantly.

“Yeah, Mike, what is it?”

“What are we doing about the crown moulding in here?!”

Alison sighed; no rest for the wicked. She rose to her feet and started to make her way upstairs without so much as a _good-day_ to the Army Captain. 

“In where?!” Was the last thing Cap heard Alison say.

For the rest of the day Matt packed up his cameras and strange REM Pod things from where they'd been dotted about the house – which Fanny had been most pleased about – while periodically getting shots of Button House from both indoors and out.

Thomas had elected to write a beautiful going away poem for Halston though no one, living or dead, expected much to come from it; a reaction that had lead the Regency idiot to sulk off to God knew where to supposedly  _work_ on his art. 

The Captain though had decided to leave Halston to it; let her pack and all. Kitty had already decided to follow the woman around so surely Hals wouldn't want him doing the same; especially when she needed to prepare. 

Come dinner and Alison had graciously offered to let the ghosts all watch _Friends_ while, she, Mike, Halston and Matt had one last dinner together. Much to everyone's surprise they'd even gotten Lady Button hooked, or at least as hooked as a woman like her could get. Cap still wanted to insist he was Chandler but every time he thought about it he just went straight back to Halston's throw away comment that was was indeed Ross. Maybe being Ross wouldn't have been so bad if Halston was Rachel. Cap's eyes went wide, the show forgotten as Pat asked for them all to quieten down for the umpteenth time. Where the hell had that thought come from?! When had thoughts like those even popped into his subconscious mind? No! The Captain pushed the whole string of thoughts from his head and forced his attention back to the show as Joey went after yet another young woman. 

“Are you quite alright, Captain?” Asked Fanny, clearly not impressed by Joey's 'how you doin'' line. “You look ill.” 

“I'm fine, thank you, Fanny. Nothing wrong at all. Absolutely tickety-boo.” 

Fanny didn't seem convinced but she still went back to the show for which he was thankful; he didn't need the line of questioning.

Cap sat there with his fellow deceased folk for a while until Alison showed up to turn off the TV which none of them were pleased about but they didn't grumble too much when they realised how late it had gotten. 

The ghosts all dispersed to their rooms for some rest. The Captain passed through the door to his room where he sat down on the bed and just stared at the wall his room shared with Halston's. He'd miss her but she'd come back; she'd promised. Cap had just lay back when he heard yelling drifting through the wall. Matt was angry Halston wouldn't lie – Cap didn't need to be in the room to know that. 

The Captain sat himself up and stared at the wall again as the gears turned in his head. Once Halston was home she'd be free of Matt and be able to live her life in peace and unhindered by the tall man's greed. 

Suddenly a crash sounded from the other room and that forced Cap to his feet in one smooth motion. Alison wouldn't stand for her things getting broken and he wanted to make sure Halston hadn't hurt herself somehow. The crash had sounded like glass so he assumed it was a lamp that had fallen. He passed through the wall expecting to find … well, the moustached soldier didn't know what he'd expected but what he actually found hadn't even been on the list. Halston lay on her back on the bed with Matt on top of her, at first glance most would have assumed they were having sex but no. Matthew forced a pillow down over her face, his fingers white with anger. Halston had knocked the bed side lamp off trying to get free. 

In an instant Cap made to yank Matthew off of his friend but his hands went straight through him. Of course they had, he was dead. Alison! His only option was to get Alison and Mike. They were the only ones who could do anything to stop this horror. Cap charged straight through the wall and down the halls, round corners and just straight through a whole row of small rooms until he got to Alison and Mike's room where he grounded to a halt once he'd passed through the door.

“Alison! Alison!” He yelled desperately. Mike was almost flat on his chest snoring away while his wife lay on her side daintily. The Captain didn't notice any of that though. “Alison! Man down! Man down!”

That jolted the brunette woman awake and she pushed herself up on sleepy limbs as she groaned.

“Shut up, Captain. I just got off to sleep.”

“You have to get out of bed!” Alison opened her mouth to chastise the ghost but the military man just carried on yelling. “Matthew is going to kill her. I can't touch him. You have to help, Halston!” 

Suddenly Alison was wide awake. “What?!”

“He's going to _kill_ her!” 

Quickly Alison slapped Mike rapidly forcing him awake then clambered out of bed as fast as she was able.

“Mike, come on! Come on!” 

Then the two humans were up, one alarmed, one confused, both trailing after the soldier. Cap hadn't trusted Matthew since almost the day he'd shown up but he'd never expected the man would try to _kill_ Halston. 

“What's going on?” Mike questioned his wife as they ran.

“I'm not sure but it isn't good.” 

Cap went through the bedroom door to Halston's room right before Alison threw open the door to see Matthew still over Halston with a pillow pressed violently over her face. Alison screamed and Mike grabbed Matthew in an attempt to wrestle him to the ground. The other ghosts  appeared then, some slipped through the walls while others passed through the open door. Fanny and Thomas had been prepared to start complaining until they saw the scene before them and fell silent like their fellow spectres. Alison shot onto the bed and pulled the pillow from her cousin's face only to find her eyes closed and her chest still. Tears sparked in Alison's eyes. 

“Alison, call a bally ambulance!” Ordered the Captain.

His deep voice jolted her out of it and she yanked Halson's phone off the side table and dialled 999 demanding an ambulance. She did her best not to let panic take over but she wasn't winning that fight. 

“They'll never get here in time.” Muttered Thomas quietly.

“There's an ambulance station less than a mile away.” Julian informed. “They put it in after-”

Pat peered up at Julian knowing exactly what he meant; at least something good had come of his death. The scout master turned his attention to Alison and an unresponsive Halston. 

“Alison, you have to start CPR. I'll show you.”

While Pat went to kneel on the bed Mike struggled to keep Matthew pinned. Suddenly the taller man managed to buck Mike off of him and launched to his feet before the Captain. With all his military training and the anger he had locked up inside the Captain just reacted; he punched Matt square in the face and knocked him to the ground unconscious with a single blow. He'd not let the monster get away with this. Cap stared at his hands, how had he done that? Mike saw him, eyes bold with fear and then he was back on Matt keeping him restrained. 

In the background they could hear Alison crying and answering the woman on the phone while Pat calmly talked her through CPR, but most were too focused on the fact Mike had _looked_ at the Cap, had _seen_ him! 

Julian bound over to the window to stare out over the trees; he even rose up onto his tip-toes for all the good it did. 

“I can see emergency lights.”

“That was fast.” Did Fanny actually sound relieved?

“It's their job.” Mary pointed out. 

While most of the younger ghosts were panicked and worried the elder ones like Mary and Thomas didn't seem all that concerned. They'd seen death many times over, they'd watched most of the people in that room die so it no longer caused the same panic in them that it did in someone like Pat. Of course that didn't mean that they didn't care. Robin had been there the longest by far but still he rushed to stand by Julian watching the lights. 

Soon paramedics had barged into the bedroom though the ghosts – though none of them grumbled due to the situation. The Captain's panicked eyes looked on at Halston; even war hadn't filled him with so much emotion. 

“She's too young for death.” He muttered to himself. “No one should die at twenty-four. Especially if there isn't a war on.”

So few could see him and his fellow ghosts and no one deserved to be murdered simply because they had morals. Thomas had been shot, his death had been rather quick, as had Julian's and Fanny's. His own and Mary's not so much. No one deserved these prolonged deaths, much less Halston. 

“I know I joked bit I never wanted this.” Said Julian quietly, his brow furrowed deeply with concern.

“You no do this.” Robin lay a hand on the taller man's shoulder in an fugal attempt to comfort the former MP. “He did this.”

All the ghosts turned their attention to a still unconscious Matthew pinned by Mike – all save for the Captain's.

Kitty wiped away tears. “How old is she? Halston never told me.” 

“Twenty-four.” Answered the military man.

Robin left Julian in favour of standing right next to Alison who seemed to be in some sort of catatonic state.

“No let die.”

Alison didn't answer, just watched as the paramedics did all they could. More sirens came from outside and cars rolled over the gravel rapidly but it went ignored until police barged in and yanked Mike off of Matt so they could arrest him. 

The dead watched on in utter silence. All of the ghosts apart from Julian had seen someone die in the house before but they all knew the true extent of the agony one felt realising they were about to die.

“It's time to stop now.”

The ghosts all spun around to see Halston stood beside the Captain; she was already gone. Cap's mouth fell open in silent horror, not a single syllable managed to slip out. Halston offered him a gentle smile. 

“Thank you. Thank you for trying to help me, Cap.” She peered over at her cousin. “Alison,” she called a little louder and finally Alison moved “please tell them to stop.”

All the horror, fear and tears burst forth from Alison a new as realisation hit her. Mike – who'd still been on the floor – scrambled to take his wife into his arms and hold her tight as she all but screamed out her pain.

“I'm so sorry, Ally. I am, but please tell them to stop.”

Turned out Alison didn't need to ask because the two paramedics gleaned at one another mournfully then shook their heads slowly. The taller man put the defibrillator paddles back while the other looked down at his watch to pronounce Halston dead. 

The only noise was that of Alison crying for a while, Halston wanted to comfort her but knew she'd only make it worse. Minutes or hours could have gone by with them all in that state but soon police wanted statements and all the ghosts save for Cap and the newly deceased Halston left the room. As the bespectacled ghost headed for the door Cap rested a hand on Pat's shoulder. 

“Tell Alison to say she heard a lamp fall over and smash.”

Pat nodded, of course he'd deliver the message.

Alone, the Captain and Halston stood and watched the paramedics, not a single word was uttered as they readied her body for being removed from Button House. 

Halston hadn't ever really thought about being on the other side of the vale. She's spent her life talking to those who were already there that she'd only ever thought about the bridge between living and dead. What amazed Halston more was the fact she wasn't scared or angry or anything really. Maybe it was shock or perhaps it was something else. 

Meanwhile Cap just watched her, he'd got no idea what to say. In the end he awkwardly settled for talking her hand into his own; he felt a spark, not as strong as when she'd been alive and hugged him but it was still there. He watched her smile softly which surprised him to say the least.

“Guess you're stuck with the German speaking Yank.” 

Had he not just watched someone he cared about die the Captain would have chuckled; all he managed to muster was a forced smile.


	10. Chapter 10

Time carried on as it always did and the police handled everything for a shock suffering Alison. The boyfriend was up on murder charges but there was the small issue that he was an American who'd murdered an American on English soil. Alison didn't care where he got locked up as long as he did. Halston had avoided her cousin in that time; she'd not wanted to make the sorrow and self-blaming any worse. Halston had no choice but to remain at Button house and come to terms with the fact she'd never again see her homeland. The American had died once, that didn't make the second time any easier. 

Eventually Halston hadn't been able to avoid her English cousin, the two had sat down for a very long and very tearful conversation locked away in the library. It was hard for Alison o cope knowing her dead cousin – her only family – haunted Button House.  _She'd_ asked Halston to come.  _She'd_ been the one to put all the wheels in motion.  However, Halston had friends there, had her cousin so she wasn't alone; there were worse places to end up. Alison had wanted Hals to stay and now she had to. Fate had granted Alison's silent wish but in a horrific way that she blamed herself for. 

Steadily though, after months, the funeral, the courts, Alison and Halston had managed to fall into something that resembled normal. Things wouldn't ever be the same but the cousins would carry on. After a while Mike had started to grow paranoid that the two women were talking about him because … well, they were. It had become a joke and had done wonders for Alison and Halston coping.   


Cap had avoided getting in Halston's way. He wanted her to be with Alison and not crowd her like Pat and Kitty were. Eventually though came the day he stumbled across her sat on the bed she'd been murdered on staring off into space. She'd been halfway through changing when she'd died, so she still had her make up and heels on but her hair had clearly been brushed through leaving it flatter than usual and she had her pyjamas on; a lilac racer back and matching sleep shorts. 

“Are you alright, Halston?” 

The Captain could have kicked himself. Of course she wasn't alright, she'd been murdered by a man who was supposed to love and protect her. 

It took her a moment but Halston nodded and looked up at him with those stunning green eyes of hers. She patted the bed beside her and quietly he made his way over to sit. Alison hadn't set foot in the room since her cousin's murder so it still looked as it did that night, right down to the shattered glass from the lamp. Maybe Cap could convince Alison to have Mike do it; this was Halston's room, she didn't need it staying in such mournful disarray.

“I was just thinking is all.” Hals told him softly.

He cleared his throat. “I know that feeling, I did the same when I died. I find myself doing it now still and I died-” he paused to think “...  seventy-six years. Good god has it been that long?” He muttered the last bit to himself. “Hal, this won't sound helpful but – it doesn't get better, at least in my experience it hasn't. Eventually though, it does get easier.” 

He'd never been very good at comforting people alive or dead and in the back of his mind he wished he'd never said a word. Halston didn't complain though, she just rested her head on his shoulder; he could still feel that spark from her. 

“Thank you. That does actually help.”

Cap breathed out a laugh. “I don't see how.”

She shrugged. “Well, you came in here to try and comfort me, that's better than if the words helped or not. 

Halston Renner really was a mystery to the military man.  He hadn't ever met anyone quite like her. 

“I have no idea how you manage to be so positive about everything.” 

“I'm a realist, I just accept things as they come. We have little other option.”

She cuddled into him then and much to the Captain's own surprise he wrapped an arm around her to keep her close; he enjoyed her touch. Halston was still warm and that surge of electricity he'd felt radiate off of her still clung to the new ghost; strange that she was dead and yet could still make him feel alive.  Slowly the arm he had wrapped around her shoulders slipped down to circle her waist and press her closer to him. 

“How are the others?” She asked curiously.

“Hmm? Oh, that are all fine. Fanny isn't very happy 'the American is staying', but that's about everything to report.”

She nodded. “Pat's been very helpful, teaching me about the things I can do now like going through walls. Would be nice if Kitty would leave me alone a while though. That's why I came in here, I'm avoiding her a while.”

The Captain grumbled. “I can order her to leave you be if you'd like, Hal.”

Cap raised an eyebrow,  _ when did I start calling her 'Hal'? _

“No,” she shook her head “it's okay. Kitty is just excited to have a new friends.”

The American shuffled closer to the Captain seeking out his comfort that he was more than happy to supply. He tilted his head questioningly then as he stared down at her feet.

“How is it that you are in your night things and yet still have your shoes on?” 

“ My feet were cold so I put them back on after I got changed. I'd meant to take them off after I'd taken off my make-up but … you know. Never got that far.” 

“ I'm sorry.” He said trying to back-peddle. 

H is sudden tone change got Halston to look up and rise to sit straight, her brow was furrowed somewhat and concern lingered in those polished emeralds. 

“What could you possibly be sorry for?”

Cap sighed. “I could have come in here sooner, I could have gotten Alison out of bed faster. I-” 

Suddenly Halston moved to straddle the other ghost and cupped either side of his face so he was forced to look at her; Cap's eyes went wide. 

“No! You hear me? No. You did everything you could, as fast as you could. Yes, I'm dead but I don't blame you for that. You tried. You punched Matt in the face for fucks sake.” 

“How did I do that?” His voice was quiet; his brain still hadn't quite processed there was a woman straddling him. “I'm dead. I shouldn't have been able to do that.”

Halston paused. “Em, when a spirit feels an intense burst of emotion, usually anger, they can funnel their energy into a solid form long enough to be seen or touch … or punch an asshole in the face.” 

He supposed that made sense. “Like when you kissed my cheek only I did this myself?” The American nodded. “That really was all me?”

“Yes. You were trying to protect me. Thank you, Cap.”

It finally dawned on the Captain that she still straddled him and he blushed … actually bally blushed, which a dead man shouldn't have been capable of. However, when he looked back up at those stunning green eyes of hers they were shining and Halston had a gentle smile on her lips.  _So beautiful._ In a single moment of daring the Captain leant in and pressed a chaste kiss to Halston's lips. For a split second he wanted to run but then she was kissing him back and snaked her arms around his neck. His hands found her slender hips and he pulled her to him but then – as quickly as it had all began – Halston pulled away from him; Cap was horrified once again that this had been one gigantic mistake. He paled. 

“Are you sure about this?” He raised an eyebrow; _what?_ “I'm not a psychologist, Cap, I could have been wrong about you being bisexual, about everything I said. Maybe you are just gay and I don't want to start loving you only for you to realise that and then have to exist awkwardly in the same house for the rest of eternity.” 

It took the moustached man a moment to dissect what she'd said since Halston had basically spoken in a single breath. Hearing it like that he could understand Halston's worries, he had the same concerns in all honesty. Cap paused as he tried to figure out to phrase what he wanted to say. 

“Hal, I don't think any of that matters. I don't think any of that will happen … because, well,” he took a calming breath more for his stress levels than because he needed the air. Halston just watched on. “... I think I already love you and I think that's why I got angry enough to manifest, as you put it.” The Captain breathed out a laugh, quiet and somewhat mournful. I didn't realise any of that until right now. I know we haven't known each other very long and you have more important things to think about, but I care about you and I-” 

Was he rambling? Yeah, he was rambling but the Captain couldn't seem to stop talking. Fortunately Halston appeared to grasp that he'd gotten stuck in a loop because she pressed her lips to his again. Cap clung tightly to the American; it had been a very long time since he'd been  _happy_ but she made him happy. 

“Okay.”

That one word was all she said, such a simple and short word but it meant so much to Cap. Okay, I understand. Ok ay, I'll help you stop talking. Okay, I care about you too. Okay, you're not alone. Okay, we'll try. Okay, I love you. So yes, Cap clung to her. He pressed his lips to hers again finally feeling like he didn't have to hide. 

“Halston.” He just had to say her name.

When they broke apart Cap rested his head on her shoulder and held her tight; she didn't object. Several minutes went by like that in total silence. Off in the distance they could hear Humphrey's head moaning at his body as it once again walked straight past him but Halston just threw up her hand at the door and it closed; that got the military man's attention. 

“How did you-?” 

Halston shrugged. “I think it's a sort of left over from when I was alive. I'm still a conduit for energy so … I think I might be like a, you know, poltergeist.” 

“Julian will be jealous.” Frankly neither cared about that. Silence took over once again until felt the need to confess. “Hal, is it wrong that I am actually glad you died? No! No, not that you were murdered but that-” 

She cut him off with a smile. “That I'm staying with you. That you can touch me without draining me.” She shook her head. “No, Cap, that's not wrong. It's something happy from something horrid.”

Yes, he'd never met anyone like Halston Renner. She pressed against him and kissed him again though this time it didn't instil fear in the army Captain, only happiness. 

“What's your name?” She asked randomly. “You know mind and if we're going to try this I should know your name.”

It had been such a long time since anyone had asked that. All the other ghosts had just seen the uniformed and stuck with Captain; truthfully he'd never felt the need to tell them his name. For a moment he wondered if he'd forgotten it. Halston cared enough to ask though and she deserved an answer. 

“Em, Frank. It's Frank. Rather dull I know but things like Halston didn't exist back then.” 

She rolled the name around in her head a brief moment trying to get a feel for it and then, finally, she smiled. 

“Frankie, I like it. Suits you.”

“Frank.” He corrected but deep down knew he wouldn't get a choice.

“Nope,” she grinned teasingly “you're Frankie. Don't worry, I'll call you Cap in front of the others.” He placed a kiss to his forehead.

“Thank you.”

Her brow furrowed. “For what?”

“For being you.”

That made the twenty-four year old beam and God was she stunning. It amused the moustached man that he'd spend the rest of his death in his pristine uniform while Halston would stay in scraps of fabric she called pyjamas. It certainly didn't bother him though, he could see those long legs – far nicer to look at that Julian's, all the ghosts would agree. He squinted down at her right leg when something caught his attention peeking out from her shorts. 

“What is that? A tattoo.” Fanny wouldn't be pleased; not that she ever was.

“Hmm, oh, yeah. It's my Celtic cross.” She lifted her hair and spun partially, still in his lap, so he could see the back of her neck. “I have a little butterfly too. Dad used to call me his little butterfly.” 

Quite how they'd gotten onto that subject Halston didn't know but when Cap pulled her back to settle against his chest she stopped caring and instead just settled into happiness. For a time anyway, after about three or so minutes Mike broke the quiet. 

“Halston! Halston!” 

The pair of ghosts raised an eyebrow as they glanced over to the closed door. Why on Earth would Mike call her? He couldn't see her. Slowly they got up and went out into the hallway where they found Mike wandering very slowly down the hall. 

“Halston, I don't know if you're even up here. Hell, I could be talking to myself but Ally is crying again and she wants you.” He finally came to a stop with his back to Hals and the Captain. “I'm talking to the air, aren't I.” He sighed. “Yep, I'm being an idiot.”

Carefully Halston walked over to Mike and placed her hand on his shoulder, as though he'd been burnt the black man jumped around but all he saw was hallway. His eyes looked panicked. 

“What the-? Halston, is that you? Or is it the army dude I saw?” 

Cap just watched her open mouthed. “How are you doing that?” 

“Told you, I think I'm a poltergeist.” She shrugged. “Think it doesn't matter which side of the vale I'm on I can still manipulate energy.” Halston leant in until her mouth was right next to Mike's ear. “I'll go.” 

Mike jumped again, though this time almost into the wall. He brushed a hand at his ear quickly as though a bug had tried to crawl inside.

“Holy crap! It is you. Okay, any doubts that this place is haunted are officially gone. I em, I heard that. Guess it means you'll go see her. She em, she's in the library and she just wants you. Could you, I don't know, tap my chest if that's you and you're going now.” 

Halston did as asked then headed off down the hall with Cap trailing behind as Mike tried to get used to the idea of what had just happened; or, more correctly, had a mini freak out. 

 

~X~

 

Months went by and building work got under way once again. People went this way and that as they hauled through equipment and lights. Mike flitted about checking on things, or at least that was what he said, in truth he was just wandering around trying to look like he was doing something productive. 

“Are you certain we have to go through all this?” Complained Fanny. “I still don't like the idea of a boarding house.”

Alison rolled her eyes as they watched the builders. “You'll like it once it's done, Fanny. Trust me.”

Fanny just folded her arms across her chest clearly unimpressed that Alison still insisted on this whole renovation plan. They'd soon be over run with people treating her house as though it were their own but at least it wasn't getting broken down into apartments. Lady Button wandered off to grumble with Mary while Alison spotted Cap and Hals by the piano.

“Thank you.” She said once she was by their side. “Really, Hals, thank you. We never would have been able to do any of this without you.”

Halston just shrugged. “Well, I'm dead so I don't think I really need a trust fund now. Besides, you're my only family so of course you inherit everything I've got. That and this is a good cause.” 

Hals held the Captain's hand and he used it as an excuse to pull her close so she was pressed against his side. Cap kissed her cheek. 

“I love you, Hal.”

She smiled. “Love you too.”

Julian cast them an unimpressed glance at the pair as he passed through the wall from outside and went to sit at the chess table with Robin; he wasn't exactly a fan of Halston and the Captain being together. 

“Alison?” Called Jack from the other side of the room. “Can I have a word please?”

The living cousin nodded with a bold smile that was only a little forced.

“Yep, coming, Jack.” She discreetly turned her attention back to Halston. “I like him more than Terry.” With that She headed off to talk to Jack. 

Meanwhile someone caught Halston's eye and she easily led Cap over to the doorway where the pair stood watching as a young Asian man moved a load of coiled wires around in a rather tight blue t-shirt. 

“That is the best example of arm porn I've ever seen.”

Cap still had his arm around Halston's slender waist to keep her close. Before Halston had arrived he'd have cowered of or been overly outraged, not anymore though. 

“Indeed. Should have tossed him out into No Man's Land. Jerry would have been ogling him a week.”

“You can sat that again. Mmm.” 

The pair heard a throat clear behind them then and finally pulled their eyes from the young builder to glance over their shoulders where they found all the ghosts stood watching them. Fanny looked mortified while the others just looked curious.

“What?” Questioned Halston. 

Cap seemed timidly but suddenly found some confidence and spoke boldly.

“He is rather handsome. Very attractive really. Shame I can't touch him.”

That seemed to either satisfy their questions or – in Fanny's case – made them feel awkward. Either way they went back to whatever it was they'd been doing before Halston and the Cap had drawn their attention. The military man couldn't quite believe he'd just said that. He felt eyes on him then, he looked down to see his darling Halston watching him. 

“You're pleased, what did I do?”

“You didn't hide who you are from them, you just said 'this is who I am, if that is shocking to you hen so be it'. I'm so proud of you, Frankie.”

She rose up onto her tip-toes and kissed him. Cap hadn't ever really been happy. Not when he was alive, not when he was dead. Now though, with Halston, he was happy. He'd fought in a war but she'd made him brave. 

THE END


End file.
